There are also debates about how to trace lunar timekeeping. Clocks on the Moon gain about 56 microseconds per day (one microsecond is equal to one millionth of a second), making them run slightly faster than clocks on Earth.
These small variations also vary by location, meaning that clocks on the Moon do not necessarily move at the same rates as clocks in lunar orbit.
“Of course, the agreed timing system would have to be practical for astronauts as well,” said Bernhard Hufenbach, who works in ESA’s Human and Robotic Exploration Directorate.
“This would be quite a challenge on the surface of a planet where each day at the equator is 29.5 days long, including fortnight-long lunar nights, with the entire Earth just a small blue circle in the dark sky,” he said. a statement. “But having established a working timing system for the Moon, we can do the same for other planetary sites.”
But in addition to astronauts and ground controllers being able to tell time on the Moon, the need for standard timekeeping in space is also essential for guidance and navigation.
Just as GPS systems on Earth require precise co-ordination and timing, so does any infrastructure that is built and operates on the Moon.
Typically, missions to the Moon use deep space antennas to synchronize onboard systems with time on Earth, but European space officials say this approach may not be sustainable as humans establish a more permanent presence on the Moon. Are.
Many of these discussions are already underway as part of NASA’s “LunaNet” initiative, a project to develop technologies, techniques and standards for lunar communications and navigation. These efforts are a key part of the agency’s Artemis program, which aims to build lunar bases before moving to Mars and launching regular missions to the Moon.
In November, space officials gathered at the European Center for Space Research and Technology in the Netherlands to discuss priorities going forward.
Pietro Giordano, a navigation systems engineer at ESA, said, “During this meeting … we agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time, which is accepted internationally and to which all lunar systems And users can refer to it.” in a statement. “A joint international effort is now being launched to achieve this.”
