The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has petitioned NASA to set time zones for the Moon and other celestial bodies, a White House press release said Tuesday.
OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar has called on NASA to implement Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) by the end of 2026 to facilitate future space missions and navigation. according to her notes.
“Over the next 10 years, the United States will work with allies and partners to develop the capabilities to return humans to the Moon and enable a lasting presence,” Prabkar’s memo said. “Uniform time standards will be the foundation of these efforts.”(Related: US achieves first moon landing in 50 years)
“As NASA, private companies, and space agencies around the world launch missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, it is critical that we establish a time-of-day standard for safety and accuracy,” OSTP National Security said Steve Welby, Deputy Director of Security. in a press release. “Consistent time definitions among space carriers are critical to successful space situational awareness, navigation, and communications, all of which can be used across the U.S. government and with international partners. It is the foundation that enables operability.”
The White House directed NASA to create a lunar standard time
A plan to implement the so-called Lunar Time of Agreement (LTC) will be drawn up by the end of 2026, Reuters reports.
Because the moon and other celestial bodies have different gravity and other factors… pic.twitter.com/8BXl5Evzdn
— Nexta (@nexta_tv) April 3, 2024
LTC “will enable operations on the Cismoon and be tied to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on Earth,” the press release states.
However, establishing LTC is a complex operation.
“The general theory of relativity and the special theory of relativity tell us that the length of one second on Earth will appear distorted to an observer under different gravitational conditions. “The clock appears to be losing an average of 58.7 microseconds per Earth, with additional periodic fluctuations,” the memo states. “This has important implications for developing standards and capabilities for operating on or around the Moon.” (Related: Begin your journey back to greatness with New Moon Landing)
NASA plans to send four astronauts to the moon in September 2025. Reuters report.
