Necessary for lunar exploration, surface activities, and keeping time with the Earth.
Does time pass slightly faster on the moon and at a different speed than on Earth?
[서울=뉴시스] Reporter Koo Ja-ryong = The world is currently using Greenwich Mean Time as the global standard.
In 1884, time around the world was determined based on the Prime Meridian, which passes through the grounds of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
This is not just a technical convenience in determining the time zone. It also reflected the convenience and superiority of the ‘British Empire on which the sun never sets’ in navigational trade science at the time.
Setting time standards has historically also been a symbol of political power and influence.
The Earth’s time zone was set in 1884, but is it now competing with the Moon’s time zone?
What time is it on the moon?
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 4th that the United States and China are competing over determining the time standard for the moon.
This is because the lunar time standard is expected to be needed as lunar exploration activities increase.
The winner of the lunar time race will leave a mark on the history of space exploration by setting a new standard for future lunar missions.
The United States and its space partners are trying to establish a special time zone for the moon.
Space exploration rivals China and Russia are seeking to pursue their own lunar timing and navigation systems without participating in the U.S.-led initiative.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on its website last month that it was following instructions from the White House and that the new standard time, ‘Coordinated Lunar Standard Time’, is to support safe and sustainable exploration as a growing number of countries and private companies plan lunar missions. He announced that he is taking the lead in creating ‘(LTC)’.
According to an announcement by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in April, the time system proposed for the Moon will be adopted by the parties that signed the US-led ‘Artemis Agreement’ and will be used as an international standard for the Moon.
Namrata Goswami, a space policy researcher at Arizona State University, said the White House’s directive is based on the fact that lunar activities, including manned and unmanned missions, will increase and that establishing a common time zone for better cooperation among Artemis Treaty signatories is necessary.
“During the Cold War, lunar missions used the time standard of the country from which they were launched, but activities on the Moon were more limited at that time,” Goswami said.
Unlike China, Russia, and the United States, they set their own time zone.
The number of countries that have now signed the Artemis Agreement has increased to 43, but the largest space powers, China and Russia, are not included.
China and Russia are promoting the construction of an international lunar research base and aim to build a permanent base at the lunar south pole by 2035.
China has its own plans to build a timing and navigation system on the moon, SCMP said.
Goswami said China has announced plans to set a time zone for the Moon by 2028 and develop coordinated lunar communications and internet capacity.
Researchers have proposed various roadmaps for developing a constellation of lunar satellites similar to Beidou, which would play a critical role in positioning, navigation and timing in the space between Earth and lunar orbits.
A team from the Beijing Spacecraft System Process Research Institute proposed in June to launch a network of 21 satellites around the moon to provide real-time, high-precision navigation to support China’s lunar exploration ambitions.
How is the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) of the Moon determined?
The Moon currently has no unified time system.
Each country’s mission uses its own time scale linked to Earth’s Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
This method is effective for independent missions, but can be problematic when multiple spacecraft need to cooperate, requiring the moon’s own time standard.
However, the clocks on the Earth and the Moon are said to have different gravitational fields, so the speed of time is different.
According to NASA, atomic clocks on the lunar surface are expected to tick 56 microseconds (56 millionths of a second) faster per day than clocks on Earth.
Although the differences may seem minor, accurate timekeeping is essential for synchronization in space missions, SCMP said.
In addition, the clock on the lunar surface moves at a different speed from the lunar orbit, so determining the lunar time must also take into account the practicality of astronauts.
NASA says, “NASA and its partner nations are currently studying which mathematical model is most appropriate for establishing lunar time.”
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