The ‘Telescope’ of the LISA Mission:
NASA has taken a big step in space research. Now it has decided to send a special telescope into space to catch the gravitational waves coming from space and has released a prototype of it. NASA will complete the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna i.e. LISA mission with the European Space Agency (ESA). In this, a total of six telescopes will be installed in space by the year 2030.
How special is this mission:
The concept of gravitational waves was given by the great physicist Albert Einstein more than a hundred years ago. But it was possible to see them from space only in 2016. At present, there are only two laboratories in the world to see such waves one LIGO in America and one VIRGO in Europe. But now NASA has decided to catch these waves in space itself and study them in which it will take the help of ESA.
What are these gravitational waves?
Gravitational waves are disturbances in the fabric of spacetime caused by very massive objects in space. Einstein first predicted this in his general theory of relativity. These waves travel at the speed of light and are formed as a result of collisions between objects such as black holes or neutron stars, or supernova explosions in giant stars.
What is this mission?
The LISA mission will use a special design that will have a triangular structure. It will include three spacecraft, each of which will be about 24 lakh kilometers apart. Each spacecraft will have two twin telescopes. In this way, a total of six telescopes will be used only then a gravitational wave can be captured. The distance between the spacecraft will make this entire system larger than the Sun.
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NASA will make special parts:
The entire system will use lasers to measure the changes in the subtle distance between the spacecraft. Which will detect gravitational waves from cosmic events like the merger of black holes. NASA is responsible for providing all six of these crucial parts. The recently unveiled prototype is called the Engineering Development Unit Telescope. It will serve as a guide for developing the final flight hardware.
Special gold coating:
The prototype telescope, built by L3Harris Technology in Rochester, New York, arrived at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in May. Its primary mirror has a gold coating to enhance infrared laser reflection and reduce heat loss in the cold vacuum of space. The telescope is made entirely of Zerodur, an amber-colored glass ceramic known for its exceptional thermal stability. The material, manufactured by Schott in Mainz, Germany, is key to maintaining the telescope’s precise shape in a wide range of temperatures.
But why a telescope in space?
The problem is that some types of gravitational waves are harder to see than others because the collision of different objects produces waves of many frequencies. Therefore, astronomers want to put gravitational detectors in space, which will greatly improve the accuracy of detection.
How will it work?
It will launch three spacecraft that will orbit the Sun in the shape of an equilateral triangle. In this way, they will create an analog of a giant interferometer. When a passing gravitational wave causes the fabric of space-time to distort. The result will be a slight change in the distance between the satellites, which will reveal the presence of waves. By analyzing the degree of change, LISA will also be able to determine the origin of the gravitational wave and what part of the universe it came from.
LISA’s unprecedented sensitivity will allow it to detect gravitational waves down to the picometer scale, i.e. one trillionth of a meter. This ability will open up new avenues for the study of the universe, help complement traditional astronomical observations, and improve our understanding of cosmic phenomena.
