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NASA Gravity Probe Confirms Two Einstein Predictions

Posted by samzenpus on from the I-hope-it-feels-so-good-to-be-right dept.

sanzibar writes "After 52 years of conceiving, testing and waiting, marked by scientific advances and disappointments, one of Stanford's and NASA's longest-running projects comes to a close with a greater understanding of the universe. Stanford and NASA researchers have confirmed two predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, concluding one of the space agency's longest-running projects. Known as Gravity Probe B, the experiment used four ultra-precise gyroscopes housed in a satellite to measure two aspects of Einstein's theory about gravity. The first is the geodetic effect, or the warping of space and time around a gravitational body. The second is frame-dragging, which is the amount a spinning object pulls space and time with it as it rotates."

6 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Re:first comment! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Uh oh.

    Looks like someone didn't account for gravitational time dilation.

  2. Honey? by mangu · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Imagine the Earth as if it were immersed in honey," Francis Everitt, GP-B principal investigator at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., said in a statement

    Doh, this is Slashdot, we want a car analogy, please. And have the numerical results expressed in libraries of congress per football field. Thanks.

  3. Re:Nasa Warp Drive Project by roger_pasky · · Score: 4, Funny

    Agreed, make it so. Geordi, estimate developement period from current stardate. Data, start doing some calculations. Wesley, contact Dr. Sheldon Cooper and piss him off.

  4. Re:I'm tired of Matt Welsh by dotancohen · · Score: 4, Funny

    Please, can somebody restore the fortune database? Thanks.
    Uh, and First Post.

    Restore it? It works fine for me, here:

    Are Linux users lemmings collectively jumping off of the cliff of reliable, well-engineered commercial software?

    In fact, I've been seeing that for a few days!

    Protip: Say that quote while walking the halls. You will immediately know who your fellow /.ers are by the snickers. If your boss laughs, then you're in trouble.

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  5. Blah, I Hate This! by Greyfox · · Score: 3, Funny

    Relativity and black holes look like bugs in a not-very-well thought-out physics simulation. This sort of thing makes me wonder if the universe isn't just some extra-dimensional college kid's thesis project on how to find the best way to turn hydrogen into plutonium.

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  6. Re:Picking nits by Andrewkov · · Score: 3, Funny

    Theory : There is ALWAYS 2 oranges in a bag.
    Observation : A bag containing 5 oranges.

    Conclusion: 2 oranges in a bag can reproduce