Why Is NASA Working on a Time Zone for the Moon?

Time zones are important.

But what time is it on the moon?

Back in April, theBiden-Harris administration askedNASA to come up with a time zone exclusively for the moon.

The timing setup could come in handy for the space agency’sArtemis missionsin the works for the coming years.

UTC is determined by the weighted average of atomic clocks across Earth.

LTC will be determined by the weighted average of atomic clocks on the moon.

The biggest problem NASA will have to tackle is best explained by Einstein’s theories of relativity.

For reference, a single human blink averages between 100,000 and 350,000 microseconds.

Although that variation in time is imperceptible to humans, it’s a big deal for space work.

NASA says that this tiny time difference can throw off calculations enough to put future missions in danger.

NASA scientists are working on the problem, and they’re facing a deadline.

The White House wants the lunar time zone figured out by Dec. 31, 2026.

Even time zone projects, it seems, have a time limit.