On earth we have come to take time keeping for granted. We know what time it is where we are and we can easily find the time in any location on the earth. Atomic clocks allow us to measure time with great precision, and we can synchronize time to accomplish a variety of purposes that rely on a common standard for time. Unfortunately, the reduced gravity on the moon means that atomic clocks on the mood would tick faster than those on earth.
As Alfonso Maruccia writes in Techspot, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is proposing a GPS-like system that would provide a Moon Time synchronized to a single time zone adjusted for the reduced gravity. Such a system will be necessary for the coordination of networks, communications, and navigation.
We seldom get to witness the development of standards for time these days so this effort to create a time for the moon offers a unique opportunity to see the proposal and possible adoption of a new social convention for time.
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