Gravitational Wave Astronomy and the Lunar Ligo Concept

by Norman LaFave, Johnson Space Center, Houston, United States,
Thomas L. Wilson, Johnson Space Center, Houston, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space IV

Abstract:

The preliminary proposal (LaFave and Wilson, 1993, 1992) for emplacing a modest LIGO [ Laser interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory ] system on the Moon using unmanned robotic landers (such as the recent Artemis project) is analyzed in more detail. The multi-LIGO system (Schutz et al., 1987, 1989; Tinto et al. 1987, 1989) can be augmented with a Lunar LIGO, and the triangular interferometer, unproposed on Earth, finds a simple and advantageous application in the vacuum environment of the lunar surface.

Subject Headings: Moon | Measuring instruments | Automation and robotics | Astronomy | Space exploration | Lasers | Antennas

Services: Buy this book/Buy this article

 

Return to search