[time-nuts] GPS disciplined Mars clock

[jimlux]

On 7/9/16 12:34 PM, Hal Murray wrote:
>
> jfitzgerald at alum.wpi.edu said:
>> What organization is in charge of inserting leap seconds into the Martian
>> time scale?
>
> How good is the data on the rotation rate for Mars?  Is it good enough so
> that they would need leap seconds?

Very good. We can do two way Doppler from the Mars Rovers with an 
accuracy in the mm/s range, and from that get a very good rotation rate.


>
> How about leap years/days?  (assuming they have a calandar)
>

That would depend on whether the Martian year is an exact multiple of 
the Martian sol (which I suspect it is not), and then, whether you want 
your calendar to align with some astronomical event (e.g. a solstice).


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timekeeping_on_Mars

1 mars sidereal year = 668.5991 sols