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DannyB [soylentnews.org] writes:

NASA Will Create a New Time Zone for the Moon, Called Coordinated Lunar Time [smithsonianmag.com]

With dozens of lunar missions on the horizon, a standard time-keeping system for the moon will assist with precise navigation, docking and landing

This week, the White House officially tasked NASA with establishing a time standard for the moon, called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) in the Office of the President’s memorandum, [whitehouse.gov] which international bodies can use to coordinate their activities on the lunar surface.

[....] “Imagine if the world wasn’t syncing their clocks to the same time—how disruptive that might be and how challenging everyday things become,” an unnamed White House Office of Science and Technology Policy official tells Reuters’ Joey Roulette and Will Dunham.

[....] Unlike on Earth, the moon will have just one time zone and no daylight saving time. [smithsonianmag.com] But that doesn’t make the project any easier for NASA officials. Factors like mass and gravity can affect how time passes—here on Earth, even the gradual redistribution of mass due to sea ice melt is forcing scientists to reconsider our timekeeping. [smithsonianmag.com]

NASA has to make a time zone for the Moon [engadget.com]

The White House said so.

The White House has published a policy memo asking NASA to create a new time standard for the Moon [engadget.com] by 2026. Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) will establish an official time reference to help guide future lunar missions.

[....] The European Space Agency is also trying to make a time zone [engadget.com] outside of Earth’s… zone.

If you saw Interstellar, you are now educated enough to know that time moves faster on the moon. We must do something.

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