Scottish scientists have sent a kit that they built into space to try and crack Albert Einstein’s theory – the detection of low frequency gravitational wave (ripples), which may be caused by merging massive black holes. This theory was part of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. On December 2, a rocket with the inventions of scientists from the Institute for Gravitational Research (part of the University of Glasgow) will launch. The equipment is the culmination of 10 years’ worth of research and will be carried onboard the European Space Agency LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. The rocket will launch from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou in French Guiana. The optical bench, which is part of the kit, will be examined for contamination. Image: University of Glasgow. Three satellites are being sent into space to try and detect ripples. The three satellites have been separated by many millions of miles. The spacecraft will need to travel approximately eight weeks from Earth to reach the orbit it is designed for, which covers 1.5 million km miles. According to the Institute for Gravitational Research, the spacecraft will need eight weeks to reach its target orbit, which is approximately 1.5 million kilometres (932,000 miles) from Earth. The mission’s leader Dr. Harry Ward hopes that the team will be able discover direct evidence for the ripples. LISA Pathfinder, a European Space Agency (ESA) space probe is scheduled for launch December 2 . Image: www.esa.int. Dr. Ward stated that LISA Pathfinder has been a very exciting and challenging project that involves researchers from across Europe for the past ten years. It is both thrilling and frightening to be on the brink of witnessing it launch on its mission. I will have the opportunity to view it at the Kourou launch site. “The launch LISA Pathfinder marks a significant milestone not only for the European Space Agency and other European partners but also for furthering our understanding of how the Universe works. This is an exciting time in the field. We look forward to the next phase of exploration into the gravitational Universe. ESA Video – LISA Pathfinder The goal of LISA Pathfinder is to verify the technology required to detect gravitational wave from space. Gravitational waves can open new doors in our understanding of space and help us test Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.
