Why does NASA want to set a time zone for the Moon?

In a memo published on April 2, the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) said that federal agencies will standardize time on celestial bodies, with an initial focus on the Sun. moon and missions in lunar orbit. NASA is expected to complete the CLT in 2026.

In layman's terms, humans need a system to synchronize time on Earth with time on the Moon, since the lower gravity on the Moon causes time to move a bit faster there than on the Moon. Earth – just 58.7 microseconds after 24 Earth hours.

This is not science fiction, even though it is featured in Hollywood blockbusters like Interstellar . The rate at which time passes is influenced by gravity.

Although small, the time difference could cause problems in synchronizing satellites and space stations in lunar orbit.

People on Earth use UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) to synchronize time zones around the world. UTC is determined by more than 400 atomic clocks in 'time laboratories' in about 30 countries around the world. Atomic clocks use the vibrations of atoms to achieve extremely high precision in time measurement.

Similar atomic clocks will be placed on the Moon so that precise time can be measured.

While there was no mention of time zones on other planets, in 2019 NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) mission tested atomic clocks to improve spacecraft navigation in deep space.

The DSAC mission was launched by SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket on June 22, 2019. The rocket tested the atomic clock in Earth orbit for 1 year.

The mission ended successfully in 2021, with the onboard atomic clock maintaining accurate time and positioning.

Lesley Montoya

Update 22 April 2024