Satellite to test Einstein predictions

[SirUlli]

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A satellite designed to test two fundamental predictions made by Albert Einstein about the universe is ready for launch, 45 years after it was first proposed, NASA and Stanford University officials said Friday.

Since 1959, Gravity Probe B has overcome a half-dozen attempts at cancellation, countless technical hurdles and several delayed launches. The NASA-funded, university-developed spacecraft is now scheduled to begin its mission following an April 17 liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Full Story at CNN

Gravity Probe B testings Einsteins Universe

Einstein after seven Decades

Gravity Probe B FAQ

it is heavy Stuff i knew...........

more info

A brief history of cosmology

Faster Than Light Physics

General Relativity

Sir Ulli

 

[Soggysocks]

You wonder where SirUlli is hiding.....then......... He pops up with another Interesting Link 🙂

Nice find Ulli. Thanks for the Links 🙂

 

[BlackMountainCow]

Thx man, great find again! :beer:😀:beer:

 

[amdxborg]

WoW Thanx SirUlli! 😀

 

[TofBnT]

Thanks!!

 

[SirUlli]

Status check shows Gravity Probe B in good shape

Link
An artist's concept of the Gravity Probe-B spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Stanford University

Gravity Probe B - a NASA mission to test two predictions of Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity - is orbiting 400 miles above Earth, and all spacecraft systems are performing well. Its solar arrays are generating power, and all electrical systems are powered on. The spacecraft is communicating well with its supporting satellite relay and ground stations.

Full Story at Spaceflight Now

Link3
"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." Albert Einstein

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.time.com/time/time100/poc/magazine/albert_einstein5a.html">Person of the Century:
Albert Einstein</a>
He was the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science. The touchstones of the era ? the Bomb, the Big Bang, quantum physics and electronics ? all bear his imprint

for the interesting Reader
Sir Ulli

 

[SirUlli]

April 26, 2004: Engineers don't often indulge in poetic flourish when discussing the things they build. So when words like "beautiful" and "elegant" and "artful" frequently cross the lips of scientists and engineers as they talk about the design of Gravity Probe B (GP-B), one might suspect that this spacecraft is truly something special.

Picture 1

The idea behind the experiment is simple: Put a spinning gyroscope into orbit around the Earth, with the spin axis pointed toward some distant star as a fixed reference point. Free from external forces, the gyroscope's axis should continue pointing at the star--forever. But if the region of space through which the gyroscope orbits is slightly twisted, as Einstein's theory predicts, the direction of the gyroscope's axis would drift ever-so-slightly over time. By noting this change in direction relative to the star, the subtle frame-dragging effect can be measured.

A spinning spherical gyroscope in Earth orbit should wobble due to frame dragging.

Picture 2

The gyroscopes in GP-B are the most perfect spheres ever made by humans. (The experiment actually carries four gyroscopes for redundancy.) These ping pong-sized balls of fused quartz and silicon are 1.5 inches across and never vary from a perfect sphere by more than 40 atomic layers. That means that if these gyroscopes were the size of the Earth, the elevation of the entire surface would vary by no more than 12 feet! If these gyroscopes weren't so spherical, their spin axes would wobble even without the effects of frame-dragging, thus ruining the experiment.

One of the spherical gyroscopes used in Gravity Probe B.

Picture 3

Full Story at Science@NASA

that is really interesting stuff.

Sir Ulli

 

[Polo]

Originally posted by: Soggysocks
You wonder where SirUlli is hiding.....then......... He pops up with another Interesting Link 🙂

Nice find Ulli. Thanks for the Links 🙂

Thanks SirUlli ! 🙂