Moon Time Zone? ESA Pushes For Standard Lunar Reference

Can one tell time on the moon? Well, the European Space Agency wants a standard lunar reference time to be set. This would serve as the measure used by all nations and individuals who would be venturing into the moon.

Moon Time Zone

According to the Daily Mail, this idea has been circulating since 2022. However, now, the ESA as well as international collaborators are moving toward coming up with a standardized lunar reference time that spacefaring nations could adhere to.

At present, the time of moon missions depends on the country that manages the craft deployed to the moon. These systems are all linked to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on earth. However, according to Smithsonian Magazine, such an approach lacks precision. This means that spacecraft managed from various areas do not sync with one another.

AP News reports that European space authorities think that having a moon time zone will make things easier for all. This could be especially true as more countries and businesses look towards exploring the moon. Moreover, NASA is also set on deploying astronauts there.

WPRI reports that the global team looking into establishing a moon time zone is debating and discussing whether the setting and maintenance of the moon time zone should be done by a singular agency.

Authorities should also take technical issues into account. Compared to when they are on earth, clocks tend to move faster across the moon. This leads to an additional 56 microseconds each day. What makes things even more complicated is that the ticker differs when on lunar orbit and surface.

On top of this, the moon time zone should also be practical for the astronauts deployed there. NASA is reportedly looking to deploy its crew-filled flight to the moon in 2024, as part of the agency's series of Artemis missions. Lunar landing may take place by 2025.

Bernhard Hufenback, who serves as the head of ESA's strategic planning office, says that it will be quite challenging, considering how each lunar day lasts as long as 29.5 days on earth. However, when a moon time zone system is established, the same can be done on other planetary areas.

Space Time

The notion of time was something that NASA had to wrestle with as it designed and built the International Space Station, which is nearing the 25th anniversary since its first piece's deployment.

Though the space station itself does not have a standard reference time of its own, it moves on UTC or Coordinated Universal Time, which is intricately dependent on subatomic clock movement. This helps in splitting time variances across NASA and other space agencies across Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe.

Check out more news and information on the Moon in Science Times.