NASA Instructs to Give Moon Its Own Standard Time

In an effort to establish secular norms beyond Earth’s boundaries, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) directed NASA to develop a unified standard time for the moon and other celestial bodies, this guardian the report said.

It will be called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC).

According to Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, time depends on gravity. Where gravity is stronger, time passes more slowly. This is also called time dilation.

Gravity is strongest near the center of the Earth, while gravity is weaker near the Moon, so time moves faster there – 58.7 microseconds per day compared to Earth.

“Atomic clocks on the moon don’t move at the same speed as atomic clocks on Earth,” said Kevin Coggins, NASA’s senior communications and navigation officer.

With more space missions underway, the White House has directed NASA to work with other agencies to develop a time standards strategy by the end of 2026.

This would not only improve navigation but also aid in the success of future missions to Mars and other planets.

Steve Welby, deputy director of national security, said: “The new standards will focus on four characteristics: traceability to UTC, accuracy sufficient to support precision navigation and science, and recovery of lost contact with Earth. capabilities and scalability to environments beyond cislunar space.”