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What is Gravity Probe B?

Artwork by Barron Storey of Gravity Probe B: What is Gravity Probe B?
Launched on April 20, 2004, Gravity Probe B (GP-B) was a collaboration between Stanford University and NASA designed to test two previously untested aspects of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity (geodetic and frame-dragging effects) by observing the precession of four near perfectly spherical gyroscopes.

Launched on April 20, 2004, Gravity Probe B (GP-B) was a collaboration between Stanford University and NASA designed to test two previously untested aspects of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity (geodetic and frame-dragging effects) by observing the precession of four near perfectly spherical gyroscopes in reference to a distant star as the spacecraft travelled in a polar orbit 400 miles above the Earth. The story of GP-B spans almost five decades and includes both a wide body of technical and scientific innovation and a remarkable collaboration between physics and engineering.

Image credit: Stanford University/Barron Storey