White House Calls for New Time Zone on the Moon
WASHINGTON — In a bold move, the White House is pushing US space agency NASA to develop a groundbreaking new time zone for the Moon — Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT).
Due to the differing gravitational field strength on the Moon, time actually moves faster there compared to Earth — by a rate of 58.7 microseconds every day.
While this may seem negligible, it can have a significant impact on synchronizing spacecraft operations.
The US government sees this new time zone as crucial for maintaining coordination between national and private efforts to reach the Moon.
Renowned astronomer Prof Catherine Heymans, Scotland’s Astronomer Royal, explained on BBC Radio 4’s Today program: “This fundamental theory of gravity in our Universe has a fascinating implication that time flows differently in various locations in the Universe.
“The Moon’s slightly weaker gravity results in clocks running at a different pace.”
Currently, time is measured on Earth using a network of atomic clocks spread across the globe, tracking the energy state of atoms to record time down to the nanosecond.
If these clocks were placed on the Moon, they would gain a second every 50 years due to the differences in gravity.
“An atomic clock on the Moon ticks at a different rate than one on Earth,” noted Kevin Coggins, NASA’s top communications and navigation official.
“It’s logical that each celestial body, like the Moon or Mars, should have its own unique time standard,” he added.
However, NASA is not alone in this endeavor. The European Space Agency (ESA) has also been working on developing a new time system.
For this ambitious project to succeed, there must be international agreement and a centralized coordinating body — a role currently held by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures for Earth time.
On the International Space Station, Coordinated Universal Time is used due to its low orbit. Establishing a new time standard would also require consensus on its starting point and duration.
The US aims to have CLT operational by 2026, in time for its upcoming manned mission to the Moon.
Artemis-3 will mark the first return to the Moon’s surface since Apollo 17 in 1972, targeting a landing at the lunar south pole believed to contain significant water-ice reserves in perpetually shadowed craters.
Precision in navigation is crucial for this mission, as even nanosecond errors could lead to spacecraft entering incorrect orbits.
However, Artemis-3 is just one of many national and private missions planned for the Moon’s exploration.
Without coordinated timekeeping, challenges may arise in data transmission and communication between spacecraft, satellites, and Earth. — BBC
