[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” height=”114px” background_color=”” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ title_text=”” background_image=”\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/slider-corpo2.jpg”][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” _dynamic_attributes=”content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMSBjbGFzcz1cImVudHJ5X3RpdGxlXCI+IiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiI8L2gxPiJ9fQ==@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” _dynamic_attributes=”content” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9kYXRlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJkYXRlX2Zvcm1hdCI6ImN1c3RvbSIsImN1c3RvbV9kYXRlX2Zvcm1hdCI6IlktbS1kIEg6aTpzIn19@[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” top_divider_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” top_divider_height=”0px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row column_structure=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1543421888_c3b5cbd95d62a5714d778bdfff5dda09_lisa_pathfinder_in_space_large.jpg” alt=”LISA Pathfinder, a laboratory in space” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” title_text=”PR_Image1.png” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ width=”600px” module_alignment=”center”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Following a long series of tests, ESA\u2019s LISA Pathfinder has started its science mission to prove key technologies and techniques needed to observe gravitational waves from space. Predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, gravitational waves are fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime produced by exotic astronomical events such as supernova explosions or the merging of two black holes.<\/p>\n
LISA_Pathfinder_in_space_large<\/p>\n
Gravitational waves in space<\/p>\n
Recently, the first direct detection of these waves inaugurated the era of gravitational astronomy.A future observatory in space, sensitive to gravitational waves with longer wavelengths than those detected on the ground, would be an essential tool to exploit this new field of study by probing some of the most massive and powerful objects in the Universe.<\/p>\n
Carlos F Sopuerta, researcher at Institute of Space Sciences (IEEC-CSIC) and coordinator of the LISA gravitational astronomy group explains that \u201cLISA Pathfinder is designed to achieve the purest-known \u2018freefall\u2019, the extremely challenging condition necessary to build such an observatory\u201d.<\/p>\n
To do so, the team released two test masses \u2013 a pair of identical 2 kg gold\u2013platinum cubes measuring 46 mm \u2013 inside the spacecraft and is now verifying that they are truly moving under the effect of gravity alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is crucial\u201d says Sopuerta \u201ceven in space, there are forces capable of disturbing the cubes, including the radiation and wind from the Sun, and they need be isolated from all of these non-gravitational influences. To do so, LISA Pathfinder continually measures their positions\u201d.<\/p>\n
Science operations<\/p>\n
Catalan researchers have a very important role in the LISA Pathfinder mission. They have designed the Data Management Unit (DMU), the onboard computer that controls the scientific experiments that have just started at the European Space Operations Centre of ESA in Darmstadt, Germany.<\/p>\n
The researcher Lluis Gesa monitors daily tha hardware and the softwarse of the DMU. \u201cThis is a technic support for possible errors that can escape the purely scientific analysis and we will provide solutions or advice to help the scientific team\u201d. Miquel Nofrar\u00edas has already begun the scientific experiments: \u201cWe started to induce thermal and magnetic forces over the cubes already in free fall and we are learning more every day about how this instrument with incredible precision works.\u201d<\/p>\n
LISA Pathfinder scientific mission officially began on March 1 and will run for six months.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Following a long series of tests, ESA\u2019s LISA Pathfinder has started its science mission to prove key technologies and techniques needed to observe gravitational waves from space. Predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, gravitational waves are fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime produced by exotic astronomical events such as supernova explosions or the merging […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","footnotes":""},"categories":[71,76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-other-announcements"],"yoast_head":"\n