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Solar-system tests of gravitational theories
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Shapiro, Irwin I. |
| Copyright Year | 2005 |
| Description | We are engaged in testing gravitational theory, mainly using observations of objects in the solar system and mainly on the interplanetary scale. Our goal is either to detect departures from the standard model (general relativity) - if any exist within the level of sensitivity of our data - or to support this model by placing tighter bounds on any departure from it. For this project, we have analyzed a combination of observational data with our model of the solar system, including planetary radar ranging, lunar laser ranging, and spacecraft tracking, as well as pulsar timing and pulsar VLBI measurements. In the past year, we have added to our data, primarily lunar laser ranging measurements, but also supplementary data concerning the physical properties of solar-system objects, such as the solar quadrupole moment, planetary masses, and asteroid radii. Because the solar quadrupole moment contributes to the classical precession of planetary perihelia, but with a dependence on distance from the Sun that differs from that of the relativistic precession, it is possible to estimate effects simultaneously. However, our interest is mainly in the relativistic effect, and we find that imposing a constraint on the quadrupole moment from helioseismology studies, gives us a dramatic (about ten-fold) decrease in the standard error of our estimate of the relativistic component of the perihelion advance. |
| File Size | 109499 |
| Page Count | 2 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20050041678 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t4bp51x7p |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2005-01-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration Helioseismology Laser Ranging Very Long Base Interferometry Time Measurement Lunar Rangefinding Solar System Spacecraft Tracking Relativistic Effects Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports ServerĀ (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |