NASA Is Creating A New Clock For Moon


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3 April 2024

NASA is all set to revolutionise timekeeping by creating a whole new way to track time on the moon

Image: nasa.gov

The space agency has been asked by White House to set up a moon-centric time reference system called 'Coordinated Lunar Time' (LTC)

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Why? It's because time on the moon ticks a bit faster than it does here on our home planet

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Due to less gravity on the moon, time there moves 58.7 microseconds quicker compared to Earth

Image: Pexels

So, the time zone on the Moon won't be similar to that on Earth, but an entire frame of time covering all the regions on the Moon

Image: Pexels

The White House said they want LTC, to be tied to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), currently the primary time standard used throughout the world 

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Developing LTC may require atomic clocks to be placed on the moon

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A Moon-centric time reference system will be able to provide a benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites which need extreme precision

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Without a unified lunar time standard, it will be difficult to synchronise communications among Earth, lunar satellites, bases and astronauts

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NASA has been given time till the end of 2026 to set up the 'Moon clock'

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International space agencies are also joining forces to devise a unified time reference for lunar missions

Image: Pexels

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