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Microscope – A space mission to test the equivalence principle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2010

Meike List ,
Hanns Selig ,
Stefanie Bremer  and
Claus Lämmerzahl
Meike List
Affiliation:
ZARM – Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity, University of Bremen, Am Fallturm, D–28359 Bremen, Germany email: list@zarm.uni-bremen.de, selig@zarm.uni-bremen.de, bremer@zarm.uni-bremen.de, laemmerzahl@zarm.uni-bremen.de
Hanns Selig
Affiliation:
ZARM – Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity, University of Bremen, Am Fallturm, D–28359 Bremen, Germany email: list@zarm.uni-bremen.de, selig@zarm.uni-bremen.de, bremer@zarm.uni-bremen.de, laemmerzahl@zarm.uni-bremen.de
Stefanie Bremer
Affiliation:
ZARM – Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity, University of Bremen, Am Fallturm, D–28359 Bremen, Germany email: list@zarm.uni-bremen.de, selig@zarm.uni-bremen.de, bremer@zarm.uni-bremen.de, laemmerzahl@zarm.uni-bremen.de
Claus Lämmerzahl
Affiliation:
ZARM – Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity, University of Bremen, Am Fallturm, D–28359 Bremen, Germany email: list@zarm.uni-bremen.de, selig@zarm.uni-bremen.de, bremer@zarm.uni-bremen.de, laemmerzahl@zarm.uni-bremen.de
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Abstract

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MICROSCOPE is a ESA/CNES space mission for testing the validity of the weak equivalence principle. The mission's goal is to determine the Eötvös parameter η with an accuracy of 10−15. The French space agency CNES is responsible for designing the satellite which is developed and produced within the Myriade series. The satellite's payload T–SAGE (Twin Space Accelerometer for Gravitation Experimentation) consists of two high–precision capacitive differential accelerometers and is developed and built by the French institute ONERA.

As a member of the MICROSCOPE performance team, the German department ZARM performs free fall tests of the MICROSCOPE differential accelerometers at the Bremen drop tower. The project's concepts and current results of the free fall tests are shortly presented.

Keywords

RelativityGravitation
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S261: Relativity in Fundamental Astronomy: Dynamics, Reference Frames, and Data Analysis , April 2009 , pp. 423 - 425
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

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