A new satellite is about to take on quite the challenge after it reached space onMonday, withplans to test one of the fundamental principles of physicsat the very core of Einsteins theory of general relativity. The craft, calledMicroSCOPE, is a joint French-European mission that aims to test the equivalence principle, also known as the 'universality of free fall.' The principle states that two objects fallwith the exact same acceleration in the same gravity field. We alreadyknow this to be correct with an accuracy of 3 parts per 100,000 billion. MicroSCOPE will push the limit to one part in 10 million billion. Once in orbit, the satellite will release two different pieces of metalone titanium and the other a platinum-rhodium alloy. The two objects will be in perfect and permanent free fall, shielded from the perturbations one may encounter on Earth. The most famous test of the principle in popular culture is probably when Galileodropped weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa (although it might have onlybeen a thought experiment). Nonetheless, many have tried to look for a difference without success. In Einstein's reformulation of the theory of gravity, he observed that the gravitational force experienced while standing on a massive body isequivalent to the pseudo-force generated in an accelerated frame of reference. Everything on Earth experiences an acceleration towards the ground of about 9.81 m/s2. If you were suddenly put in a spaceship with no windowsin deep spaceand moving at that acceleration, you wouldnt be able to work out that youre not on Earth anymore. Even if you had the most sophisticated technology, without external knowledge,gravity and dynamic acceleration would appear identical. If MicroSCOPE finds a difference between them, it would point to a severe limitation of general relativity. But even if the principle holds, we are still looking for an explanation of where it comes from. Only when relativity and quantum mechanics are put together in the grand unified theory will the existence of this principle become clear. Read more:http://www.iflscience.com/physics/french-satellite-set-test-fundamental-principle-physics Satellite Will Test Einstein's Theory Of General Relativity
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