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<\/a><\/figure>NASA will coordinate with U.S. government stakeholders, partners, and international standards organizations to establish a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) following a policy directive from the White House in April. The agency\u2019s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program is leading efforts on creating a coordinated time, which will enable a future lunar ecosystem that could be scalable to other locations in our solar system.<\/p>\n
The lunar time will be determined by a weighted average of atomic clocks at the Moon, similar to how scientists calculate Earth\u2019s globally recognized Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Exactly where at the Moon is still to be determined, since current analysis indicates that atomic clocks placed at the Moon\u2019s surface will appear to \u2018tick\u2019 faster by microseconds per day. A microsecond is one millionth of a second. NASA and its partners are currently researching which mathematical models will be best for establishing a lunar time.<\/p>\n
To put these numbers into perspective, a hummingbird\u2019s wings flap about 50 times per second. Each flap is about .02 seconds, or 20,000 microseconds. So, while 56 microseconds may seem miniscule, when discussing distances in space, tiny bits of time add up.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor something traveling at the speed of light, 56 microseconds is<\/a> enough time to travel the distance of approximately 168 football fields,\u201d said Cheryl Gramling, lead on lunar position, navigation, timing, and standards at NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cIf someone is orbiting the Moon, an observer on Earth who isn\u2019t compensating for the effects of relativity over a day would think that the orbiting astronaut is approximately 168 football fields away from where the astronaut really is.\u201d<\/p>\n As the agency\u2019s Artemis campaign prepares to establish a sustained presence on and around the Moon, NASA\u2019s SCaN<\/a> team will establish a time standard at the Moon to ensure the critical time difference does not affect the safety of future explorers. The approach to time systems will also be scalable for Mars and other celestial bodies throughout our solar system, enabling long-duration exploration.<\/p>\n As the commercial space industry grows and more nations are active at the Moon, there is a greater need for time standardization. A shared definition of time is an important part of\u00a0safe, resilient, and sustainable operations,\u201d said Dr. Ben Ashman, navigation lead for lunar relay development, part of NASA\u2019s SCaN program.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s SCaN program serves as the office for the agency\u2019s space communications operations and navigation. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN\u2019s two networks, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, to support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitor Earth\u2019s weather and the effects of climate change, support lunar exploration, and uncover the solar system and beyond.<\/em><\/p>\n Learn more about NASA\u2019s plan to return to the Moon at:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/humans-in-space\/artemis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> NASA will coordinate with U.S. government stakeholders, partners, and international standards organizations to establish a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) following a policy directive from the White House in April. The agency\u2019s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program is leading efforts on creating a coordinated time, which will enable a future lunar ecosystem that could be [\u2026] Continue reading
\nBrian Dunbar <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"