As Einstein and subsequent observations proved, time is inseparable from space and gravity. Clocks will tick at different speeds on Earth, the Moon, and in outer space. The lighter the celestial body, the faster the atomic clock runs on it – a tool not only for orienting people in time, but also a measure of signal delay and a support for orientation in space. Space requires its own approach, which became the reason for creating a special time standard.
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The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) took up the issue. As you know, under the leadership of NASA, the stages of the Artemis program to return man to the Moon are unfolding, including the creation of permanent presence bases there. The atomic clock on the Earth’s natural satellite advances by 56 μs every day. “Moon” clocks could be synchronized with atomic clocks on Earth – technically this is easily achievable. However, NIST considered this approach unjustified. It will be easier to introduce a lunar time zone and use it to determine the time and operation of positioning systems on the surface and orbits of the Moon. When approaching the Moon, it will be enough to change the clock once and forget about the problem.
The establishment of a unified lunar time is necessary, first of all, to create a lunar GPS. This will allow high-precision landings with an error of several meters. This opportunity will be especially important for the exploration of the south pole of the Moon, where the terrain is very complex, and thanks to it, water ice can remain in the eternal darkness of the craters.
In the future, the new space time standard can be used for work on Mars and in outer space, as well as deep in the solar system. But for now, lunar exploration is on the agenda. In the next two decades it will become quite lively there, especially in orbit. A unified timekeeping system will be needed there like air, so that all stations and satellites are on the “same wavelength” and do not risk colliding.