Preparing for a future where activities on the Moon need to be coordinated across its surface and with people on Earth, the White House has directed NASA to create a time standard for the Moon and other celestial bodies, Reuters reports, as the US works to set the standards to be adopted internationally.
Designated “Coordinated Lunar Time” and abbreviated as “LTC,” the standard is needed because the time moves faster on the Moon than it does on Earth, with the two bodies differing by an average of 58.7 microseconds per day. Over days (on Earth), that difference could cause problems for equipment that is supposed to synchronize between the two bodies in space, as well as with finely-tuned instruments and machines that would run autonomously on future missions.