To support ambitious plans for a permanent human presence on the Moon, NASA researchers have developed a new lunar time system. This system, grounded in relativistic time transformations, aims to address time discrepancies caused by gravitational potential differences and relative motion between lunar assets and those in cis-lunar space.
Artist's impression of astronauts on the lunar surface, as part of the Artemis Program. How will they store power on the Moon? 3D printed batteries could help. Credit: NASA
As Turyshev told Universe Today via email, RTT will become a major consideration as humans begin operating on the Moon for extended periods of time: “Relativistic corrections link these time scales, ensuring consistent timekeeping for spacecraft navigation, planetary ephemerides, and communication,” added Turyshev. “Without such corrections, spacecraft trajectories and mission timings would quickly become unreliable, even at relatively short distances.”
As lunar exploration accelerates, says Turyshev, defining a dedicated Lunar Time scale and a Luni-centric Coordinate Reference System becomes increasingly important. Hence, he and his colleagues developed a TL scale to ensure precise timekeeping for activities on and around the Moon. Their approach involves applying relativistic principles used for Earth and adapting them to the Moon’s environment, including:The Moon’s motion around Earth and the Sun introduces periodic time variations.
Space Exploration Relativity Time Dilation Lunar Time NASA
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