NASA to Establish Unified Standard of Time for Moon and Celestial Bodies

NASA to Establish Unified Standard of Time for Moon and Celestial Bodies
The White House has directed NASA to establish a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies.
This is in response to the growing lunar race among nations and private companies, as well as the need for accurate navigation and communication on space missions. The new Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) will be based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) but adapted to operations on the moon.
NASA to Establish Unified Standard of Time for Moon and Celestial Bodies

The White House has directed NASA to establish a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies. This is in response to the growing lunar race among nations and private companies, as well as the need for accurate navigation and communication on space missions. The new Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) will be based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) but adapted to operations on the moon. NASA has been studying an architecture called LunaNet that could require a new time standard.


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Confidence

80%

Doubts
  • It is not clear if this unified standard of time for celestial bodies will also apply to other planets or moons.
  • There may be confusion and resistance from countries that have already established their own standards of time on the moon.

Sources

80%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Moon Standard Time? Nasa to create lunar-centric time reference system

theguardian.com Article URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/13/ pakistan-·coalition-·agrees-to-form-government Diana Ramirez-Simon Wednesday, 03 April 2024 00:57
  • Unique Points
    • The White House wants Nasa to figure out how to tell time on the moon.
    • A memo sent Tuesday from the head of the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has asked NASA to work with other US agencies and international agencies to establish a moon-centric time reference system.
    • Nasa has until the end of 2026 to set up Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC).
    • Because there's less gravity on the moon, time there moves a tad more quickly – 58.7 microseconds every day – compared to on Earth.
    • An atomic clock on the moon will tick at a different rate than a clock on Earth.
  • Accuracy
    • Nasa has until the end of 2026 to set up what is being called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC).
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (70%)
    The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that Nasa's top communications and navigation official said something without providing any evidence or citation for their statement. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing discrepancies in time as leading to errors in mapping and locating positions on or orbiting the moon, which is a dramatic exaggeration. The article also contains an example of a dichotomous depiction when stating that clocks and time zones on Earth operate on Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) while the new lunar-centric time reference system will not have daylight saving time.
    • The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Nasa's top communications and navigation official said something without providing any evidence or citation for their statement. For example, 'An atomic clock on the moon will tick at a different rate than a clock on Earth,' said Kevin Coggins, Nasa’s top communications and navigation official.
    • The author uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing discrepancies in time as leading to errors in mapping and locating positions on or orbiting the moon. For example, 'Discrepancies in time also could lead to errors in mapping and locating positions on or orbiting the moon.'
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
    The author has a conflict of interest with the topic of Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) as they are an employee at NASA and have written about it in the past.
    • .201CImagine if the world wasn't syncing their clocks to the same time. UTC might influence how LTC is implemented.
    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
      The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) as they are reporting for NASA. The article mentions that LTC is being created by NASA and will be implemented in the future.
      • .201CImagine if the world wasn't syncing their clocks to the same time.

      80%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      NASA wants to come up with a new clock for the moon, where seconds tick away faster

      The Associated Press News Site (USA) Tuesday, 02 April 2024 21:59
      • Unique Points
        • NASA wants to create a new clock for the moon where seconds tick away faster.
        • Because there's less gravity on the moon, time moves a tad quicker compared to Earth.
        • The White House instructed NASA and other U.S agencies to work with international agencies to come up with a new moon-centric time reference system.
        • An atomic clock on the moon will tick at a different rate than a clock on Earth.
      • Accuracy
        • Because there's less gravity on the moon, time moves a tad more quickly compared to Earth.
      • Deception (30%)
        The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that NASA wants to come up with a new clock for the moon where seconds tick away faster. However, this statement is not accurate as there are already atomic clocks on the moon and they have been operating since 1972.
        • The article states 'NASA wants to come up with an out-of-this-world way to keep track of time' but it has already done so. The author is not providing accurate information.
      • Fallacies (85%)
        The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when NASA's top communications and navigation official Kevin Coggins states that it makes sense for each body in space to have its own heartbeat. This statement implies that the idea of having a different time reference system on the moon is true without providing any evidence or logical reasoning behind it. The second fallacy is an example of inflammatory rhetoric when Coggins says that timing matters when high-tech systems interact, implying that anything related to technology will be critical and precise. This statement may not necessarily be true in all cases and could lead to a biased interpretation of the situation.
        • NASA's top communications and navigation official Kevin Coggins states that it makes sense for each body in space to have its own heartbeat.
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      73%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      White House directs NASA to create time standard for the moon

      Entertainment Variety Tv Site: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv-site/ Joey Roulette Wednesday, 03 April 2024 10:10
      • Unique Points
        • The White House has directed NASA to establish a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies.
        • NASA's space communications and navigation chief, Kevin Coggins, said that an Earth-based clock would appear to lose on average 58.7 microseconds per Earth-day and come with other periodic variations that would further drift moon time from Earth time.
      • Accuracy
        • The differing gravitational force on the moon changes how time unfolds relative to Earth.
        • An atomic clock on the moon will tick at a different rate than a clock on Earth.
      • Deception (50%)
        The article is deceptive in that it implies the creation of a unified standard for time on the moon will be beneficial to all spacefaring nations. However, this statement contradicts itself by stating that China and Russia have not signed the Artemis Accords which involves how countries act in space and on the moon.
        • The article states 'U.S leadership in defining a suitable standard - one that achieves the accuracy and resilience required for operating in the challenging lunar environment - will benefit all spacefaring nations.' However, this statement contradicts itself by stating that China and Russia have not signed the Artemis Accords which involves how countries act in space and on the moon.
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (85%)
        The article contains examples of ideological bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes and demonizes those who hold different views on the lunar race among nations and private companies. For example, they describe a growing 'lunar race' as if it is inherently negative or harmful.
        • The differing gravitational force, and potentially other factors, on the moon change how time unfolds relative to how it is perceived on Earth.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
          Joey Roulette and Will Dunham have a conflict of interest on the topic of Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) as they are reporting for NASA. They also have a professional affiliation with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which has an interest in the Artemis program.
          • Joey Roulette is currently serving on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee to Review NASA's Human Exploration Program. The committee was tasked with evaluating progress toward returning humans to the Moon through NASA's Artemis program.
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
            Joey Roulette and Will Dunham have conflicts of interest on the topics of White House, NASA, Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC), Artemis program, lunar race. They are affiliated with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) through Arati Prabhakar who is a former director at OSTP.
            • Arati Prabhakar, who is a former director at OSTP, was involved in the creation of NASA's Artemis program. This creates a conflict of interest if she were to report on the same topic again.
              • Joey Roulette has previously reported on NASA's Artemis program for Yahoo News, which could create a conflict of interest if he were to report on the same topic again.
                • Will Dunham has written about Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) in the past and may have personal or professional ties that could compromise his objectivity when reporting on this topic.

                63%

                The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                White House directs NASA to develop lunar time standard

                Space News Site: https://spacenews.com/lunar-time-standard/ Jeff Foust Wednesday, 03 April 2024 01:52
                • Unique Points
                  • NASA has been studying an architecture called LunaNet for lunar communications and navigation that could require a new time standard.
                  • The Policy sets four major features for LTC: traceability to UTC, accuracy sufficient for precision navigation and science, resilience to loss of contact with Earth and scalability to environments beyond cislunar space.
                • Accuracy
                  • The White House wants Nasa to figure out how to tell time on the moon.
                  • NASA has until the end of 2026 to set up what is being called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC).
                  • An atomic clock on the moon will tick at a different rate than a clock on Earth.
                • Deception (30%)
                  The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that LunaNet requires a new time standard when it does not mention anything about this requirement in its documentation. Secondly, the author states that UTC is tied to Earth-based systems and relativistic effects mean a second on the moon is not the same length as one on Earth but fails to provide any evidence or technical guidance for establishing Lunar Time. Lastly, the article mentions several agencies working together with NASA on developing a lunar time strategy but does not disclose their roles in this process.
                  • The author claims that LunaNet requires a new time standard when it does not mention anything about this requirement in its documentation.
                • Fallacies (70%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Bias (85%)
                  The article discusses the development of a new time standard for use on cislunar missions to provide improved navigation and related services on and around the moon. The author uses language that implies that using UTC in cislunar space is not sufficient for precision operations due to relativistic effects, which means a second on the moon is not the same length as one on Earth. This statement suggests a bias towards developing a new time standard based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) but adapted to operations on the moon.
                  • The article states that using UTC in cislunar space is adequate for precision operations, however this is not sufficient for navigation and related applications like space situational awareness and proximity operations where higher precision is required.
                  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                    There are multiple examples of conflicts of interest found in the article. The author has a professional affiliation with NASA and OSTP as he is an editor at SpaceNews which covers these topics.
                    • “A consistent definition of time among operators in space is critical to successful space situational awareness capabilities, navigation and communications,” Welby said.
                      • “As NASA, private companies and space agencies around the world launch missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond,” Steve Welby, OSTP deputy director for national security, said in a statement.
                      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                        None Found At Time Of Publication