There are plans to build a GPS and data network, and it no workee (very well) without a reference time. The Moon doesn't have that. Yet.
Time being one of the fundamental parts of determining position using satellites, interoperability standards had to be agreed upon after the launches of the various GNSS constellations.
That has meant making up for slight timing differences between GPS, Galileo and other GNSS systems by introducing fixed offsets – something that everyone involved would prefer to avoid in building out LunaNet and similar systems.
ESA navigation system engineer Pietro Giordano said a joint international effort to create some form of Lunar standard time began after a November meeting of ESA's Space Research and Technology Centre.
I must say, this is very much the 21st Century that I was promised.
F**k any joint international effort.
ReplyDeleteThe future I expected says that the first real people to inhabit, live, and work on the Moon get to determine the reference time standards. Let the race begin!
One of the more fascinating (at least to me) aspects of GPS navigation is that time is faster on the satellites than it is here on Earth surface. We're deeper in the gravity well, and time slows down with gravity. Relativity is very real, even if it's just milliseconds per day, and requires constant corrections applied to the satellite clocks.
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt that Britain will support this fully, at least as long as it uses GMT!
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