From: root@mauve.demon.co.uk   
      
   Epawtows  wrote:   
   >   
   > It's been reported in many places that the MER teams   
   > are operating on "Mars time"..i.e., days that are   
   > ~24 hrs. and 39 minutes long.   
   >   
   > Does anyone know the details of how the discrepancy is   
   > made up?  I.E., do the clocks that the teams look at display?   
   > Did they create a 25th "hour" in the day that's only ~39   
   > minutes long?  Did they keep a 24-hour clock, but make the hour   
   > longer?  And if the latter, did they add extra minutes to   
   > each hour, add extra seconds to each minute, make the   
   > second longer, or what?   
      
   AIUI, the clocks simply go to 24:39 or so, then wrap round.   
   Altering the second just gets messy, and there is no way to do it   
   cleanly changing the number of minutes or seconds without abominations   
   like "leap seconds".   
      
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