Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder (formerly known as SMART-2) is a European Space Agency mission designed to pave the way for the joint ESA/NASA LISA mission by testing in flight the critical technologies required for space borne gravitational wave detection; it will put two test masses in a near-perfect gravitational free-fall and control and measure their motion with unprecedented accuracy. This is achieved through technology comprising inertial sensors, high precision laser metrology, drag-free control and an ultra precise micro-Newton propulsion system. LISA Pathfinder (LPF) essentially mimics one arm of space-borne gravitational wave detectors by shrinking the million kilometer scale armlengths down to a few tens of centimeters, giving up the sensitivity to gravitational waves, but keeping the measurement technology. The scientific objective of the LPF mission consists then of the first in-flight test of low frequency gravitational wave detection metrology.
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机译:激光干涉仪太空天线(LISA)探路者(以前称为SMART-2)是欧洲航天局的一项任务,旨在通过在飞行中测试星载重力波探测所需的关键技术为ESA / NASA LISA联合任务铺平道路;它将使两个测试质量接近完美的重力自由落体,并以前所未有的精度控制和测量它们的运动。这是通过包括惯性传感器,高精度激光计量,无阻力控制和超精密微牛顿推进系统的技术实现的。 LISA Pathfinder(LPF)通过将百万公里规模的臂长缩小到几十厘米,从根本上模仿了太空引力波探测器的一只手臂,从而放弃了对重力波的敏感性,但保留了测量技术。 LPF任务的科学目标包括低频重力波探测计量的首次飞行测试。
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