Consider the following statements with reference to the Coordinated Lu...
Recently, the US White House officially directed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to create a time standard for the Moon, which different international bodies and private companies can use to coordinate their activities on the lunar surface.
- It will provide a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites that require extreme precision for their missions.
- It will also synchronise the communication between satellites, astronauts, bases and the Earth.
- A unified time standard would be essential for coordinating operations, ensuring the reliability of transactions and managing the logistics of lunar commerce.
- Why there is need of LTC?
- As there is less gravity on the Moon, time ticks slightly faster there relative to the time on the Earth.
- In other words, for someone on the Moon, an Earth-based clock will appear to lose on average 58.7 microseconds per Earth day with “additional periodic variations.
- It can create problems for situations such as a spacecraft seeking to dock on the Moon, data transferring at a specific time, communication, and navigation.
How does Earth’s time standard work?
- Most of the clocks and time zones of the world are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) which is essentially internationally agreed upon standard for world time.
- It is set by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, France.
- It is tracked by a weighted average of more than 400 atomic clocks placed in different parts of the globe.
- Atomic clocks measure time in terms of the resonant frequencies — the natural frequency of an object where it tends to vibrate at a higher amplitude — of atoms such as cesium-133.
- In atomic time, a second is defined as the period in which a caesium atom vibrates 9,192,631,770 times. As the vibration rates at which atoms absorb energy are highly stable and ultra-accurate, atomic clocks make for an excellent device for gauging the passage of time.
- To obtain their local time, countries need to subtract or add a certain number of hours from UTC depending on how many time zones they are away from 0 degree longitude meridian, also known as the Greenwich meridian.
- If a country lies on the west of the Greenwich meridian, it has to subtract from the UTC, and if a country is located on the east of the meridian, it has to add.
Hence only statement 1 is correct.
Consider the following statements with reference to the Coordinated Lu...
Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT)
The correct answer is option 'A', which states that the first statement is correct. Let's break down the statements to understand why:
Statement 1: Provides a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites
- The Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT) is a time-keeping system specifically designed for lunar missions.
- It provides a common reference point for timing operations on the Moon, ensuring consistency and accuracy for lunar spacecraft and satellites.
- CLT helps synchronize activities such as communication, navigation, and scientific observations on the lunar surface.
Statement 2: Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
- This statement is incorrect. The Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT) was not developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- CLT is a global initiative that involves collaboration between various space agencies and organizations, aiming to establish a standard time-keeping system for lunar missions.
In conclusion, the Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT) serves as a crucial time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites, but it was not developed solely by ISRO.
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