Experimental gravity in space - History, techniques and prospects

摘要

This is more an after-dinner talk than it is a presentation of research - nothing new, no references, incomplete. It is, rather, a somewhat personal view of: ( 1) the history of experimental gravity in space, ( 2) a discussion on the theoretical basis for the two major thrusts in the field - tests of post-Newtonian gravity and gravitational astronomy, and ( 3) a couple of brief comments on two of the future space opportunities that are discussed at this meeting, LATOR and LISA. My judgment is that we have done a lot to provide an experimental basis for the theory of gravity, and that we can do even more.