NASA unveils model of LISA, a satellite array for studying ripples in space-time
NASA Space Technology The prototype LISA telescope undergoes post-delivery inspection in a darkened NASA Goddard clean room on May 20. The entire telescope is made from an amber-colored glass-ceramic that resists changes in shape over a wide temperature range, and the mirror’s surface is coated in gold. Credit: NASA / Dennis HenryNASA has released new images of the full-scale prototypes of six telescopes slated to observe some of the universe’s tiniest fluctuations. On October 22, the agency showed off mock-ups of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a European Space Agency-led project slated to embark on its mission around 2035. While not the final working equipment meant to measure gravitational waves, the mock-up offers glimpses of a design that will likely resemble the machine array destined to help astronomers discover potentially groundbreaking insights into the...