Open AccessMOONLIGHT: A NEW LUNAR LASER RANGING RETROREFLECTOR INSTRUMENT
Author(s) -
M. Garattini,
S. Dell’Agnello,
D. G. Currie,
G. O. Delle Monache,
M. Tibuzzi,
G. Patrizi,
S. Berardi,
A. Boni,
C. Cantone,
N. Itaglietta,
C. Lops,
M. Maiello,
M. Martini,
R. Vittori,
G. Lo Bianco,
Riccardo March,
Giovanni Bellettini,
Roberto Tauraso
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acta polytechnica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.207
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1805-2363
pISSN - 1210-2709
DOI - 10.14311/ap.2013.53.0821
Subject(s) - retroreflector , tests of general relativity , laser ranging , physics , payload (computing) , satellite laser ranging , ranging , laser tracker , geodesy , aerospace engineering , gravitation , laser , astrophysics , optics , astronomy , geology , computer science , engineering , gravitational redshift , computer network , network packet
Since 1969 Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) to the Apollo Cube Corner Reflector (CCR) arrays has supplied several significant tests of gravity: Geodetic Precession, the Strong and Weak Equivalence Principle (SEP, WEP), the Parametrized Post Newtonian (PPN) parameter , the time change of the Gravitational constant (G), 1/r 2 deviations and new gravitational theories beyond General Relativity (GR), like the unified braneworld theory (G. Dvali et al., 2003). Now a new generation of LLR can do better using evolved laser retroreflectors, developed from tight collaboration between my institution, INFN–LNF (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare – Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati), and Douglas Currie (University of Maryland, USA), one of the fathers of LLR. The new lunar CCR is developing and characterizing at the “Satellite/Lunar laser ranging Characterization Facility” (SCF), in Frascati, performing our new industry standard space test procedure, the “SCF-Test”; this work contains the experimental results of the SCF-Test applied to the new lunar CCR, and all the new payload developments, including the future SCF tests. The International Lunar Network (ILN) research project considers our new retroreflector as one of the possible “Core Instruments”