The lunar coordinate time system could serve as a foundation for developing a GPS-like navigation system on the Moon. This would be a critical piece of infrastructure for future lunar missions, supporting both crewed and robotic operations.
Credit: NASA
For decades, the Moon’s subtle gravitational pull has posed a vexing challenge — atomic clocks on its surface would tick faster than those on Earth by about 56 microseconds per day. This extremely small difference doesn’t seem like much, but it could disrupt the precise timing needed for important activities like spacecraft landings and communicating with Earth.
Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a plan for precise timekeeping on the Moon, paving the way for a GPS-like navigation system for lunar exploration. The research, published in The Astronomical Journal, focuses on defining a theoretical framework and mathematical models necessary for creating a lunar coordinate time system.
This innovation is crucial for NASA’s ambitious Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and may be an important steppingstone for exploration of the cosmos.
Lunar Coordinate Time
GPS on Earth relies heavily on precise timekeeping. Each satellite in the GPS constellation carries atomic clocks that are synchronized to a common time reference. By measuring the time it takes for signals from multiple satellites to reach a receiver, GPS can determine the receiver’s position and time. However, implementing a similar system on the Moon, and relating it accurately to Earth’s system, presents unique challenges due to the effects of relativity.
Einstein’s theory of relati ..
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