 24 06 2024.webp)
As more companies and countries join the space race, the White House has tasked NASA with spearheading efforts to create a standard time for the moon and other planets in our solar system.
A recently released memorandum states that the new time zone, which will be implemented by the end of 2026, may be known as Coordinated Lunar Time (CLU). A normal lunar day has 29.53 Earth days, the Mirror reported.
The Moon's clock adds approximately 56 microseconds to Earth's 24-hour day due to the Moon's lower gravity. The European Space Agency (ESA) also recently investigated a possible new time zone for the celestial body.
The concept of space explorers using mutually agreed time has been around for years. The foreign agency has not made a public announcement about its launch date, so it is uncertain whether the US will accept every request made by ESA.
"With a shared vision and unity of purpose across departments and agencies, the United States will lead the responsible, peaceful, and sustainable exploration of Silunar space and the application of discoveries in this area," the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy memorandum stated.
The timeline in the memorandum suggests that before humans return to the lunar body, the Moon will be in an official time zone. For the first time since 1972, men and women will be sent to the lunar surface with the Artemis program.
During the planned 2026 Artemis III mission, NASA plans to land humans near the moon's south pole to search for ice deposits and other critical support components.
In addition, the space agency intends to create on the moon a communication network similar to Earth's navigation systems. In addition to increased activities on the lunar surface, NASA is currently finalizing the design of its Lunar Gateway space station, which is expected to orbit close to the moon.
Modules for the proposed space station could be sent into orbit as early as 2025, and it is expected to become operational in 2028. The mission would be a joint effort by the United States, Europe, Japan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, similar to the International Space Station. | BGNES
