By SETH BORENSTEIN (AP Science Writer)
WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA is aiming to create a unique way to measure time for the moon, giving it its own advanced clock system.
It's not the same as time zones on Earth, but it's a complete time reference system for the moon. Due to the lower gravity on the moon, time moves slightly faster there by 58.7 microseconds every day compared to Earth. Therefore, the White House has instructed NASA and other U.S. agencies to collaborate with international agencies to establish a new time reference system for the moon.
Kevin Coggins, NASA's top communications and navigation official, explained, "An atomic clock on the moon will run at a different pace than a clock on Earth. When you visit another celestial body like the moon or Mars, it's logical for each to have its own timekeeping."
Coggins also mentioned that everything on the moon will function based on the accelerated moon time.
During NASA's previous moon missions, astronauts wore watches, but timing was not as critical as it is now with the reliance on precise timing for GPS, satellites, and complex computer and communication systems, Coggins stated. He emphasized that microseconds are significant when high-tech systems are interacting.
Last year, the European Space Agency proposed the need for a standardized time for the moon, where a day lasts 29.5 Earth days.
The International Space Station, which orbits close to Earth, will continue to use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Determining when the new space time standard applies is an aspect that NASA needs to address. Even Earth's time fluctuates, necessitating the addition of leap seconds.
Coggins noted that unlike Earth, the moon will not observe daylight saving time.
The White House has tasked NASA with presenting a preliminary concept by the end of the year and finalizing the plan by the end of 2026.
NASA is planning to send astronauts around the moon in September 2025 and subsequently land people there a year later.
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