What time is it on the moon? NASA plans to create a time zone for Earth's satellite

09:21 PM

Just like we say it's 10:00 AM Columbia time, Very soon, on Earth, we will be able to say that it is 10:00 AM lunar timeAll because the White House asked for it NASA creates a time zone for the satellite And other celestial bodies, at a time when governments and private companies are increasingly competing with their developments to discover and conquer space.

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With the United States keen to set international standards outside Earth’s orbit, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued instructions to the US space agency Formulate a plan before the end of 2026 to have a standard called Lunar Coordinated Time, or LTC.

“As NASA, private companies and space agencies around the world launch missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, It is important to establish celestial weather standards for safety and accuracyOSTP Deputy Director for Homeland Security Steve Welby said in a statement.

He pointed this out “Time passes differently” depending on location in space, He gave as an example Time seems to go a little faster as gravity is less (58.7 microseconds every day) compared to Earth. This means that since the gravity on the satellite is less than the gravity on our planet, Time passes a little faster on the Moon than on Earth.

Therefore, Coordinated Lunar Time will provide A reference point for measuring the time spent by spacecraft and lunar satellites on their missions, Which requires extreme precision.

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So far, Missions to the Moon, when they seek to determine their location in time, begin in the Earth's time zoneAccording to what was reported by the specialized portal Space.com. This means that The astronauts are in sync with Houston, Cape Canaveral or wherever Mission Directorate is based.

“A coherent definition of time Between operators in space Is critical to successful spatial situational awareness, navigation, and “And communications,” Welby said.

The goal, according to the White House, is just that Lunar Coordinated Time, or LTC, is related to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). main currently The time standard used to regulate time on Earth.

Coordinated Universal Time, for example, is used on the International Space Station, Because it remains in low orbit.

The White House assigned NASA to cooperate with the Departments of Commerce, Defense, State, and Transportation Develop a time standard strategy which improves navigation and other operations of missions, Especially in lunar space, the area between the Earth and the Moon.

The new standard We will focus on four features: traceability to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Accuracy sufficient to support precise navigation and science, Resistance to loss of ground contact and scalability to different environments Outside lunar space.

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The memo offers few technical details about creating a standard for lunar time, but OSTP suggests it could adopt elements of the existing standard on Earth.

The United States plans to return to the moon in 2026Humanity's first landing on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.