NASA sets standard time for the Moon

Head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Arati Prabhakar suggested that NASA work with government agencies to come up with a plan to establish a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) by the end of 2026. .

Gravity and many factors on the Moon and other celestial bodies are not the same as on Earth, so they are not similar now. LTC will provide time calculation standards for spacecraft and satellites, which always require extremely high accuracy when performing space missions.

According to NASA Space Navigation and Communications Director Kevin Coggins: 'The clocks we use on Earth move at a different speed when on the Moon. Think of the atomic clock (which calculates time by atomic state) at the US Naval Observatory. They are the 'heartbeat' of the nation that keeps everything in sync. You would want to have such a 'heartbeat' at the Moon'.

Ms. Prabhakar wrote in the memo that for a person on the Moon, clocks used on Earth would appear to lose an average of 58.7 microseconds per day. Several other periodic changes further distort the timing.

NASA is implementing the Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon, and at the same time establish a scientific base here to serve the mission to Mars. The program brings together dozens of private companies and spacecraft. Without a unified time standard, it is difficult to ensure data transmission between spacecraft, between Earth and satellites, bases, and astronauts is safe and synchronized. Time errors can also cause errors in mapping or positioning.

On Earth, most clocks in the same time zone are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). OSTP emphasized that the Moon also needs similar standards.

Also according to the memorandum, the unified standards set by the US are beneficial to all spacefaring countries. However, for this standard to become an international standard, countries need to sign an acceptance agreement.

Micah Soto

Update 03 April 2024