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Post date: May 13, 2010 5:50:36 AM
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, or LISA
as the new space based mission is called,
will be able to detect gravitational waves of very low frequencies due
to the huge distance between the three spacecraft.
The mission, a collaboration between Nasa and the European Space Agency
will use three spacecraft flying in formation while orbiting the sun, with each
housing floating cubes of gold platinum.
LISA launch 2020
Scientists have already begun building the instruments that will be used in
LISA itself, but it is not expected to be launched before 2020.
Laser beams fired between the spacecraft
will then be used to measure minute changes in the distance between each of the
cubes, caused by the weak waves of gravity that ripple out from catastrophic events
in deep space.
Gravitational waves
Einstein's theory predicts the existence of what are known as gravitational waves. Gravitational waves change the structure of space-time; they compress and stretch space – similar to the way that a wave ripples through water when a stone is thrown into it. Gravitational waves are created when a mass accelerates. Exploding stars and black holes cause particularly strong gravitational waves. Changes in the gravitational field – that is, the distortions of space which occur as a result – spread at the speed of light as gravitational waves. Such a gravitational field causes a short-term, cyclical compression and expansion of space; the distances between objects or any two points in space change.
LISA – a giant triangle in space to prove the existence of gravitational waves
Black holes
are so dense that no light or radiation escapes from inside them.
"Gravitational waves from the warped spacetime around black holes could
give us new ways of looking at them."We could also learn about the state
of matter inside collapsed stars."
Astrium UK is building LISA Pathfinder
"Trying to measure cosmic events such as collapsing star systems or the collision
of massive black holes throughout our universe requires ultra-high precision technology.
Postal stamp 2009
Einstein's theory of general relativity predicted that when large objects such as black holes collide, ripples in space and time flow outwards. These ripples are called gravitational waves.
Will Lisa find gravitational waves and prove Einstein right? source:DLR
Gravity in Einstein’s Universe
1 min 32 sec
Captioned animation showing Albert Einstein’s concept of gravity as bodies moving along geodesic paths through warped spacetime
Measuring Spacetime Curvature
source: http://www.dailygalaxy.com
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