1. Missing part delays space mission.
- Author
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Reich, Eugenie Samuel
- Subjects
- *
LASER interferometers , *SPACE exploration , *SPACE vehicle dynamics , *DETECTORS , *MASS measurement , *EQUIPMENT & supplies - Abstract
The article reports on the postponement of the 2011 Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder space mission in 2013 due to the absence of an important mechanical part. It states that the missing piece is a caging mechanism which consists of two sets of eight fingers to hold gold-platinum masses during the launch. It notes that LISA Pathfinder is an European-led research which aimed to measure the relative locations of two test masses in order for the spacecraft to move forward.
- Published
- 2011
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