Network Time Protocol and especially time zone standards were designed using the earth rotation speed.
Because it is highly probable, that mankind will start to have an almost unrestricted access to the vastness of space during this century, and this is the beginning of the century, we will eventually need to focus on creating time zone standards and NTP protocols compatible with different rotation speeds.
For example, if we start to colonize mars, it is highly probable that there will be a multi-purpose central server, which would make use of a communication protocol compatible with quantum teleportation hardware.
This hypothetical server would for example receive and send emails between mars and earth: It will surely make use of the NTP protocol for synchronizing its clock with earth and then for serving an accurate time for all local habitants devices, e.g: smartwatches, personal computers, tablets, etc.
One advantage of the NTP protocol is that a server with a high precission source of time, like an atomic clock, may additionally synchronize with other NTP servers while providing an accurate time to its clients.
One advantage of open source is that everyone is invited to be a pioneer of the upcoming technological evolution, including you
Besides of colonies in other places of the solar system, the NTP protocol will surely be used for space technology like Stardust first starcruiser.
The clock of spaceships that are constantly accelerated and decelerated would be affected by time dilation and naturally by gravitational waves too.
Because of this reason, we will surely opt to use the NTP protocol for space tech and provide an exact time to the local tripulants / habitants.
One advantage of the open source NTP server software ntpd
is that it allows a configuration field for defining the maximum poll interval of each external source of time, e.g:
server 1a.ncomputers.org maxpoll 11
server 1b.ncomputers.org maxpoll 13
server 1c.ncomputers.org maxpoll 17
The first quantum teleportation communication devices could have a limited bandwidth especially due to quantum decoherence.
Let’s say that our first spaceships with this kind of communication technology would provide 1MBPS between earth and mars. Then the bandwidth consumption by ntpd would need a reasonable limit.
It is also highly probable, that the NTP pool becomes humankind’s official source of time.
Because IPv4 is limited to 2^32 addresses and IPv6 to 2^128, it is sure that spaceships will make use of IPv6.
There have been ideas about implementing a wider IPv6 connectivity for the NTP pool and i agree with them.