Possible Experiment with Two Counter-Orbiting Drag-Free Satellites to Obtain a New Test of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and Improved Measurements in Geodesy
- 22 March 1976
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 36 (12) , 629-632
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.36.629
Abstract
In 1918, Lense and Thirring calculated that a moon orbiting a rotating planet would experience a nodal dragging effect due to general relativity. We describe an experiment to measure this effect to 1% with two counter-orbiting drag-free satellites in polar earth orbit. In addition to tracking data from existing ground stations, satellite-to-satellite Doppler ranging data are taken near the poles. New geophysical information is inherent in the polar data.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Relativity Gyroscope Experiment at Arbitrary Orbit InclinationsPhysical Review D, 1972
- MOTION OF A GYROSCOPE ACCORDING TO EINSTEIN'S THEORY OF GRAVITATIONProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1960