Current:Home > Contact-us'Coordinated Lunar Time': NASA asked to give the moon its own time zone-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
'Coordinated Lunar Time': NASA asked to give the moon its own time zone
View Date:2024-12-23 21:51:46
The White House wants the moon to have its own time zone.
On Tuesday, Arati Prabhakar, the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), asked NASA to establish a unified standard time for the moon and other celestial bodies.
Prabhakar asked the space agency to coordinate with other government agencies to come up with a plan to create a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) by the end of 2026.
Time moves quicker on the moon
Time moves quicker (by 58.7 microseconds) every day on the moon relative to Earth because of the different gravitational field strength on the moon, the memo said.
"The same clock that we have on Earth would move at a different rate on the moon," Kevin Coggins, NASA's space communications and navigation chief, said in an interview with Reuters.
The LTC would provide a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites that require extreme precision for their missions.
"Think of the atomic clocks at the U.S. Naval Observatory (in Washington). They're the heartbeat of the nation, synchronizing everything. You're going to want a heartbeat on the moon," Coggins said.
Artemis program:Here's why NASA's mission to put humans back on the moon likely won't happen on time
Synchronized time and lunar missions
In 2017, NASA formed the Artemis program, to re-establish crewed lunar missions. The space agency aims to establish a scientific lunar base that could help set the stage for future missions to Mars. Dozens of companies, spacecraft and countries are involved in the effort.
An OSTP official told Reuters that without a unified lunar time standard it would be challenging to ensure that data transfers between spacecraft are secure and that communications between Earth, lunar satellites, bases and astronauts are synchronized.
Discrepancies in time also could lead to errors in mapping and locating positions on or orbiting the moon, the official said.
"Imagine if the world wasn't syncing their clocks to the same time - how disruptive that might be and how challenging everyday things become," the official said.
Contributing: Reuters
veryGood! (24136)
Related
- Chiefs block last-second field goal to save unbeaten record, beat Broncos
- Israel, Gaza and when your social media posts hurt more than help
- Scene of a 'massacre': Inside Israeli kibbutz decimated by Hamas fighters
- Burglar gets stuck in chimney trying to flee Texas home before arrest, police say
- Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in wheelchair after banging head on court
- Trick-or-treat: Snag yourself a pair of chocolate bar-themed Crocs just in time for Halloween
- Sketch released of person of interest in fatal shooting on Vermont trail
- Quake in Afghanistan leaves rubble, funerals and survivors struggling with loss
- Oklahoma school district adding anti-harassment policies after nonbinary teen’s death
- Finland police investigate undersea gas pipeline leak as possible sabotage
Ranking
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
- Pilot confusion preceded fatal mid-air collision at Reno Air Races, NTSB says
- Australia in talks with Indonesia about a possible challenge to Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup
- I don't recall: Allen Weisselberg, ex-Trump Org CFO, draws a blank on dozens of questions in New York fraud trial
- John Krasinski named People magazine’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive
- AP PHOTOS: Protests by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators span the world as war escalates
- NASA reveals contents of OSIRIS-REx capsule containing asteroid sample
- Save On Must-Have Problem-Solving Finds From Amazon's October Prime Day
Recommendation
-
KFC sues Church's Chicken over 'original recipe' fried chicken branding
-
How to talk to children about the violence in Israel and Gaza
-
Amazon Influencers Share the Items They Always Subscribe & Save
-
Chinese carmaker Geely and Malaysia’s Proton consider EV plant in Thailand, Thai prime minister says
-
Nicole Scherzinger receives support from 'The View' hosts after election post controversy
-
Save On Must-Have Problem-Solving Finds From Amazon's October Prime Day
-
California's 'Skittles ban' doesn't ban Skittles, but you might want to hide your Peeps
-
Trick-or-treat: Snag yourself a pair of chocolate bar-themed Crocs just in time for Halloween