Abstract The Gravity Probe B spacecraft, designed to test predictions of general relativity, will fly in the mid 1990's. It will carry four electrostatically suspended gyroscopes in a cryogenic environment and will have a drag-free control system to minimize disturbances on the gyroscopes. The Stanford Test of Equivalence Principle (STEP) spacecraft, to fly later, will carry a set of test masses under very similar conditions. This paper explores the possibility of using differential measurements of the GP-B gyroscope suspension forces and the STEP test mass displacement readout to form single-axis gravity gradiometers. We show that the noise in the suspension systems is sufficiently small in the relevant frequency range, and that enough information is collected to compensate for the spacecrafts' attitude motion. Finally, using Breakwell's “flat-earth” approximation, we compare these experiments to other geodesy experiments and predict the contribution they can make to the knowledge of the Earth's geopotential.
Gradiometry coexperiments to the gravity probe B and step missions
Advances in Space Research ; 11 , 6 ; 179-182
1991-01-01
4 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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