Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
May 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009iau...261.1403c&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, IAU Symposium #261. Relativity in Fundamental Astronomy: Dynamics, Reference Frames, and Data Ana
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Dragging of Inertial Frames and gravitomagnetism are predictions of Einstein's theory General Relativity. After a brief introduction of the gravitomagnetic effect on artificial satellites and Moon and a discussion of what is measured with Lunar Laser Ranging, we describe the method we have used to measure the Earth's gravitomagnetic field using laser ranging to LAGEOS and LAGEOS 2 and Earth's gravity models obtained from the GRACE mission. We will discuss our results from this analysis that have confirmed this prediction of Einstein's General Relativity theory and measured the gravitomagnetic field in Earth's neighborhood with an accuracy of the order of 10 %. We also briefly discuss the main error sources in our measurement of gravitomagnetism and in particular, the error induced by the uncertainties in the GRACE Earth gravity models. Finally, we present an update of the LARES space experiment. LARES (LAser RElativity Satellite) is a laser ranged target similar in concept to the two LAGEOS, it is however based on a new design and it is scheduled to be launched at the end of 2009. LARES will have an altitude of about 1450 km, orbital inclination of about 71.5 degrees and nearly zero eccentricity. LARES, together with the LAGEOS (NASA) and LAGEOS 2 (NASA and ASI) satellites and with the latest GRACE Earth gravity field models will allow an improved measurement of Earth's gravitomagnetic field and of the Lense-Thirring effect with an uncertainty of a few percent. The main error sources in the LARES experiment will be briefly discussed together with details about the construction of LARES as it was designed and built in such a way that it minimizes the non-gravitational perturbations beyond what the LAGEOS design can achieve.
Work partially supported by the Italian Space Agency
Ciufolini Ignazio
Pavlis Erricos
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