Tag: Gravitational Waves

  • Gravitational wave testbed repurposed as comet dust detector

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    In the final months of Europe’s LISA Pathfinder mission, scientists have found an unexpected use for the trailblazing testbed for a future gravitational wave observatory by tracking the tiny dings made by microscopic particles that strike the spacecraft in deep space, exploiting the impacts to learn about the population of dust grains cast off by…

  • LIGO goes back to the gravity-wave grind

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    The beamlines for the LIGO detector site at Hanford stretch out across the desert terrain of southeastern Washington. Each arm of the L-shaped detector is 2.5 miles long. (Credit: LIGO) The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory is back on the hunt for ripples in spacetime, months after reporting the first signature of a black hole collision in gravitational…

  • LISA Pathfinder success bolsters plan for gravitational wave observatory

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Artist’s concept of the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. Credit: ESA–C. Carreau Europe’s LISA Pathfinder mission — a fundamental physics lab launched last year to a point a million miles from Earth — has demonstrated the mind-boggling technology required for a future space-based observatory to listen for faint, low-frequency vibrations emitted by invisible objects in the most…

  • Gravitational waves detected, opening new era in astronomy

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Artist’s concept of two merging black holes. Credit: NASA A century after Albert Einstein predicted their existence, gravitational waves have finally been detected, tiny ripples in the fabric of spacetime that were generated when two massive black holes, spinning around each other and radiating away gravitational energy, crashed…

  • LISA Pathfinder on station a million miles from Earth

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Artist’s concept of the LISA Pathfinder science module separation from the spacecraft’s propulsion section. Credit: ESA/C.Carreau Europe’s LISA Pathfinder mission crafted to demonstrate the ability to detect gravitational waves — theorized ubiquitous cosmic signals that have so far eluded discovery — has arrived at its operating post around the L1 Lagrange point nearly a million…

  • European probe blasts off on gravitational wave demonstration

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – S. Martin KOUROU, French Guiana — A solid-fueled Vega launcher fired through a low cloud deck and sped into orbit from the South American jungle early Thursday with a pioneering European spacecraft that marks a key step in a century-long quest to detect elusive gravitational waves predicted…

  • Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with LISA Pathfinder

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Vega rocket rocket with the European Space Agency’s LISA Pathfinder mission. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.

  • Finely-crafted experimental space probe ready for launch

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Updated after launch postponement. Artist’s concept of the LISA Pathfinder probe. Credit: ESA KOUROU, French Guiana — A modest European-built spacecraft tuned to test the delicate, cutting edge technologies required to detect gravitational waves, a measurement that scientists say could yield unforeseen discoveries about the universe, is awaiting liftoff aboard a solid-fueled Vega rocket this…

  • Photos: Experimental LISA Pathfinder probe processed for launch

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    The European Space Agency’s LISA Pathfinder spacecraft, destined to test the concept of gravitational wave detection a million miles from Earth, is nearly ready for launch Dec. 2. The hexagonal spacecraft, plus a disposable propulsion module to get it to an observation post at the L1 Lagrange point, arrived at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana…

  • Vega booster crowned with gravitational probe pathfinder

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    LISA Pathfinder and its orbit-raising propulsion module were enclosed inside the Vega rocket’s payload fairing Nov. 16. Credit: ESA-Manuel Pedoussaut, 2015 After criss-crossing Europe for a decade, the LISA Pathfinder satellite testbed has reached its last stop before launch in early December on a mission to demonstrate the delicate technologies required to detect elusive low-frequency gravitational…