[geocentrism] FW: Gravity Probe B Update -- February 9, 2007
- From: "Robert Bennett" <robert.bennett@xxxxxxx>
- To: "Mark Wyatt" <markjwyatt@xxxxxxxxx>, "Geocentrism" <geocentrism@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Bob Sungenis" <CAIRomeo@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2007 12:11:48 -0400
Wow - only 2 weeks left until the GPB announcement of results. How exciting!
What's GPB? An eight year multi-million $ science boondoogle that has taken
18 months for data analysis and funded a host of parasitic scientists.
GPB is supposed to confirm the frame-dragging effect predicted by Einstein,
but they seem to have a lot of fine tuning to do before the big day.
Ron Hatch -author of Escape from Einstein - predicts ? of the Einstein
value, using his MLET (Modified Lorentz Ether Theory).
We know a priori this MS project will confirm GR theory; the only questions
are how the results will be (mis)interpreted.
* Will the SNR be ~1, like COBE and the CMB?
* If GPB has such staggering complexity, requiring 5 yrs for data
collection
and an army of analysts, why should we believe the results?
Robert
.....
============================================
GRAVITY PROBE B MISSION UPDATE FOR JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2007
============================================
GP-B DATA ANALYSIS STATUS
=====================
Note: A more complete status overview of the GP-B data analysis process &
results announcement is posted at the top of our GP-B Home page:
http://einstein.stanford.edu. Following is a brief summary of our activities
and accomplishments during the past few months, and a summary of our plans
to announce the results of GP-B.
Since the meeting with our Science Advisory Committee last September (SAC
meeting #15), we have been proceeding through Phase III of the data
analysis, in which the data from all four gyros is being integrated over the
entire experiment. During this final analysis phase, we are continuing to
pursue both geometric and algebraic interpretations of the data, which is
enabling us to make further improvements in the accuracy of the results.
Now that the gyro polhode behavior is well understood (see our November 2006
Mission News Story at
http://einstein.stanford.edu/highlights/hl_polhode_story.html), we have been
able to shift our focus to identifying and addressing some subtle systematic
sources of noise and interference that are buried in the data, along with
the relativity signals. Identifying and removing as many of these subtle
systematic effects as possible is critically important for reducing the
margin of error in our final results--especially the frame-dragging result.
While we have been making steady progress in these efforts, it has proven to
be a slow and painstaking process, and it is now apparent that several more
months of data analysis will be required to achieve the lowest possible
margin of error.
At the SAC meeting #15 last September, committee members anticipated this
situation and recommended that we ask NASA to create a contingency plan, and
budget for an extension of the data analysis phase for several months past
our scheduled results announcement at the American Physical Society (APS)
meeting on 14-17 April 2007 in Jacksonville, FL. To this end, following a
meeting with NASA in mid January, NASA has requested a proposal for
extending the GP-B data analysis phase through December 2007, and this is in
progress.
Consequently, we are now planning a two-phase announcement of the GP-B
results. Our first announcement will be made at the April APS meeting, as
planned for some time now. (For more information about our presentations at
this meeting, see this month's GP-B Mission News story below.) In
conjunction with this announcement, NASA is planning a press/media event at
NASA Headquarters in Washington DC just prior to the APS meeting. The
experimental results in this first announcement will have been presented to
and vetted by our Science Advisory Committee during SAC meeting #16, which
is scheduled for 23-24 March 2007. These will be preliminary results,
representing the lowest margin of error obtainable by that date.
Concurrent with this preliminary results announcement in April, we will be
releasing an initial science data set to the National Space Sciences Data
Center (NSSDC) at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. The
remainder of our science data, along with a complete archive of GP-B
documents, images, video, and related program information will be released
to the NSSDC by the end of May. All GP-B data and information archived at
the NSSDC will be publicly available. [ translation: only MS consistent
data will be archived at the NSSDC]
Following the APS meeting, our science team is planning to spend several
more months [ of funding] removing further systematic sources of noise and
interference, with the goal of reducing the margin of error in the result to
the lowest possible level. These results will still be relative to the
position of our guide star, IM Pegasi, which changed continually throughout
the experiment. [ good choice for guide star - a variable star with proper
motion] This proper motion of the guide star has been measured on our behalf
by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). Thus, the final
step in the analysis will be to combine our gyro spin axis orientation
results with data mapping the proper motion of IM Pegasi relative to the
unchanging position of a distant quasar.
In late fall, 2007, playing the role of our own harshest critic, our
science team will perform a careful and thorough final review of the
analysis and results, checking and cross-checking each aspect to ensure the
soundness of our procedures and the validity of our outcomes. [ Whoever
serves as his own lawyer has a fool for a client] We will then convene a
final SAC meeting to obtain the committee's independent review of the final
results. Moreover, we will seek independent reviews from a number of
international experts.
We intend to announce the final experimental results of GP-B through a NASA
press/media event towards the end of 2007. At that time it is also our
intention to have submitted a number of papers on the GP-B results for
publication in peer-reviewed scientific and technical journals.
GP-B SPACECRAFT & MISSION STATUS
==========================
The GP-B space vehicle and payload continue to remain in good health. All
active subsystems, including solar arrays/electrical power, Experiment
Control Unit (ECU), flight computer, star trackers, magnetic sensing system
(MSS) and magnetic torque rods, gyro suspension system (GSS), and telescope
detectors, are performing nominally.
The spacecraft remains in a hibernation state. We are continuing to monitor
the health status of the spacecraft on a weekly basis and archiving the
status data, but we no longer performing any significant operations on the
vehicle or its payload.
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) has begun conducting training
for staff and cadets on the operation of the spacecraft. Members of our GP-B
Mission Operations Team are continuing to support the USAFA to help them get
their Mission Operations Center up and running.
==============
GP-B MISSION NEWS
==============
The GP-B Results Announcement & Presentations at the APS Meeting in April
=================================================
GP-B will have a strong presence at the American Physical Society (APS)
meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, on 14-17 April 2007. During this meeting,
we will emphasize three main themes:
-- Successful completion of most challenging space-based experiment in
NASA's history
-- First scientific results from this historic mission
-- Public release of Level2 science data (via NSSDC)
Four members of the GP-B team have been invited to speak at the APS meeting,
beginning on Saturday morning, April 14th, with GP-B Principal Investigator,
Francis Everitt, giving the plenary conference talk, entitled First Results
from Gravity Probe B.
In addition, on Saturday afternoon, two papers related to GP-B will be
delivered in Session C12: Experimental Tests of Gravity.
-- C12.00004: "Lessons Learned from Gravity Probe B for STEP, LISA and other
experiments" by GP-B team members Paul Worden and Sasha Buchman
-- C12.00005: "Proper Motion of the GP-B Guide Star" by the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Gp-B guide star tracking team:
Irwin Shapiro, Daniel Lebach, Michael Ratner, Norbert Bartel, Ryan Ransom,
Michael Bietenholz, Jerusha Lederman, and Jean-Francois Lestrade
On Sunday morning, April 15th, three members of the GP-B team have been
invited to give special talks on three aspects of the GP-B program:
-- H7.00001: "The Gravity Probe B Science Instrument," by GP-B Co-Principal
Investigator, John Turneaure
-- H7.00002: "The Development Challenges of Gravity Probe-B--an ongoing
partnership between Physics and Engineering" by GP-B Co-Prinipal
Investigator, Bradford Parkinson
-- H7.00003: "Gravity Probe B Data Analysis Challenges, Insights, and
Results" by GP-B Co-Investigator and Chief Scientist, George (Mac) Keiser
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, April 15th, a large part of the GP-B team and
associated scientists and engineers will present 22 poster sessions on a
host of scientific and technology topics, as listed below.
Session L1: Poster Session II L1.00011: GRAVITATION
-- L1.00012: "Radio Imaging of the Gravity Probe B Guide Star IM Pegasi" by
Michael Bietenholz, Ryan Ransom, Norbert Bartel, Daniel Lebach, Michael
Ratner, Irwin Shapiro, Jean-Francois Lestrade
-- L1.00013: "The 'Core' of the Quasar 3C454.3 as the Extragalactic
Reference for the Proper Motion of the Gravity Probe B Guide Star" by
Norbert Bartel, Ryan Ransom, Michael Bietenholz, Jerusha Lederman, Daniel
Lebach, Michael Ratner, Irwin Shapiro, Leonid Petrov
-- L1.00014: "Performance of the Gravity Probe B Inertial Reference
Telescope" by Suwen Wang, John Goebel, John Lipa John Turneaure
-- L1.00015: "Gravity Probe B Timing System and Roll Phase Determination" by
Jie Li , Jeffery Kolodziejczak
-- L1.00016: "The Gravity Probe B SQUID Readout Detector" by Barry
Muhlfelder, Bruce Clarke, Gregory Gutt, James Lockhart, Ming Luo
-- L1.00017: "SQUID Control, Temperature Regulation, and Signal Processing
Electronics for Gravity Probe B" by James Lockhart, Barry Muhlfelder, Jie
Li, Bruce Clarke, Terry McGinnis, Peter Boretsky, Gregory Gutt
-- L1.00018: "Gravity Probe B Science Instrument Assembly (SIA)" by Saps
Buchman, Barry Muhlfelder, John Turneaure
-- L1.00019: "Polhode Motion of the Gravity Probe-B Gyroscopes" by Michael
Dolphin, Alex Silbergleit, Michael Salomon, Paul Worden, Daniel DeBra
-- L1.00020: "Evidence for Patch Effect Forces on the Gravity Probe B
Gyroscopes" by Dale Gill, Saps Buchman
-- L1.00021: "Gravity Probe B Orbit Determination" by Paul Shestople ,
Huntington Small
-- L1.00022: "Simulator Technology of the Gravity Probe-B Mission" by David
Hipkins , Robert Brumley , Yoshimi Ohshima , Thomas Holmes
-- L1.00023: "Achievement of the Magnetic Environment Requirements for
Gravity Probe B" by John Mester, James Lockhart, Michael Taber
-- L1.00024: "The Gravity Probe B Gyroscopes" by Saps Buchman, Bruce
Clarke, Mac Keiser, Dale Gill, Frane Marcelja, Robert Brumley
-- L1.00025: "Gravity Probe B Gyroscope Electrostatic Suspension System
(GSS)" by William Bencze, David Hipkins, Tom Holmes, Saps Buchman, Robert
Brumley
-- L1.00026: "The Gravity Probe B Relativity Mission (GP-B)" by C.W. Francis
Everitt
-- L1.00027: "Gravity Probe B Experiment Error" by Barry Muhlfelder, G. Mac
Keiser, John Turneaure
-- L1.00028: "Gravity Probe B Science Data Analysis: Filtering Strategy" by
Michael Heifetz, Thomas Holmes, David Hipkins, Alex Silbergleit, Vladimir
Solomonik
-- L1.00029: "Performance of the Gravity Probe B Cryogenic Sub-System" by
Michael Taber, David Murray
-- L1.00030: "The Gravity Probe B Drag-free and Attitude Control System" by
Michael Adams, Daniel DeBra
-- L1.00031: "Features of the Gravity Probe B Space Vehicle" by William
Reeve, Gaylord Green
-- L1.00032: "Classical Torques on Gravity Probe B Gyroscopes" by Alex
Silbergleit, G. Mac Keiser, Yoshimi Ohshima
-- L1.00033: "Trapped Flux Mapping for the Gravity Probe B Gyroscopes" by
Michael Salomon, John Conklin, Michael Dolphin, G. Mac Keiser, Alex
Silbergleit, Paul Worden
=========================================
NEXT SCHEDULED GP-B UPDATE AT THE END OF MARCH 2007
=========================================
Our next regularly scheduled update will be towards the end of March,
following SAC meeting #16. Of course, we will send out a timely update if
noteworthy events occur here at GP-B in the meantime.
===================
PREVIOUS GP-B UPDATES
===================
If you wish to read any of our previous updates, our GP-B Web site includes
a chronological archive of all the updates/highlights (with photos and
drawings) that we have posted over the past 8 years:
http://einstein.stanford.edu/highlights/hlindexmain.html
=============================
OTHER LINKS THAT MAY INTEREST YOU
=============================
* Our GP-B Web site, http://einstein.stanford.edu contains lots of
information about the Gravity Probe B experiment, general relativity, and
the amazing technologies that were developed to carry out this experiment.
* Video and/or audio of May 18, 2006 public lecture by Principal
Investigator, Professor Francis Everitt, on GP-B. You can view a streaming
video of the lecture in your Web browser:
http://einstein.stanford.edu/highlights/hl_video_everitt051806.html. You can
also download either a video or audio only copy of the lecture to an iPod
from the Stanford University iTunes U Web site: http://itunes.stanford.edu,
This Web page automatically launches the Apple iTunes program on both
Macintosh and Windows computers, with a special Stanford on iTunes U "music
store," containing free downloads of Stanford lectures, performances, and
events. Francis Everitt's "Testing Einstein in Space" lecture is located in
the Faculty Lectures section. People with audio-only iPods can download the
version under the Audio tab; people with 5th generation (video) iPodfs can
download the version under the Video tab.
* Visual tour of the GP-B spacecraft and payload from our GP-B Web site:
http://einstein.stanford.edu/content/vehicle_tour/index.html
* PDF file containing a 1/20 scale, paper model of the GP-B spacecraft
that
you can download print out, and assemble:
http://einstein.stanford.edu/content/paper_model.
* NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center also has a series of Web pages
devoted
to GP-B: http://www.gravityprobeb.com
* The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (Cambridge) and York
University (Toronto), with contributions from the Observatoire de Paris,
have been studying the motions of the guide star, IM Pegasi for over a
decade. To find out more, visit: http://www.yorku.ca/bartel/guidestar/
* In addition, you'll find information in the Guide Star FAQ on our Web
site: http://einstein.stanford.edu/content/faqs/faqs.html#guidestar and on
pages 18-20 of the Gravity Probe B Launch Companion:
http://einstein.stanford.edu/highlights/GP-B_Launch_Companion.pdf
* The Einstein Exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles
has
closed.However, you can visit the American Museum of Natural History's
virtual Einstein exhibit on the Web at:
http://www.skirball.org/exhibit/amnh_frame.html
==========================
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==========================
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--
**********************************
NASA - Stanford - Lockheed Martin
Gravity Probe B Program
"Testing Einstein's Universe"
http://einstein.stanford.edu
Bob Kahn
Public Affairs Coordinator
Phone: 650-723-2540
Fax: 650-723-3494
Email: kahn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
**********************************
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