The Smooth Spheres of Gravity Probe B
Explanation:
Does gravity have a magnetic counterpart?
Spin any
electric charge and you get a
magnetic field.
Spin any mass and, according to
Einstein,
you should get a very slight effect that acts
something like magnetism.
This effect is expected to be so small that it is beyond
practical experience and even beyond laboratory measurement.
Until now.
In a bold attempt to directly measure
gravitomagnetism, NASA
launched last week the
smoothest spheres ever manufactured into space to see how they spin.
These four
spheres, each roughly the size of a
ping-pong ball,
are the key to the ultra-precise
gyroscopes
at the core of
Gravity Probe B.
Will the
gyroscopes feel
gravitomagnetism and
wobble at the rate Einstein would have predicted?
Stay tuned.
Better understanding
space, time, and gravity
can have untold long term benefits as well as likely shorter term
benefits such as
better clocks and
global positioning trackers.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
