Authors:
A. Paolozzi
1
;
C. Paris
2
;
G. Sindoni
3
and
A. Tartaglia
4
Affiliations:
1
Sapienza University of Rome and Centro Fermi, Italy
;
2
Centro Fermi and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
;
3
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
;
4
Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Keyword(s):
LARES, General Relativity, Frame Dragging, Lense-Thirring Effect, SLR.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
e-Learning
;
Game-Based and Simulation-Based Learning
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
Abstract:
LARES is an Italian Space Agency mission devoted to test frame-dragging, a prediction of general relativity. On February 2012 the satellite has been successfully put in orbit with the qualification flight of VEGA, the new European Space Agency launcher. Basic concepts of general relativity are becoming more and more familiar because of the part they play in science fiction movies. But frame-dragging (more formally known as the Lense-Thirring effect), is so peculiar that it is a relatively unknown effect. The idea of this paper is to start from the description of the experiment and then to push some parameters of the experiment to extreme values in order to magnify the effects of relativity. This approach will provide not only the students and general people but also professionals not strictly specialized in general relativity, with increased interest in gravitational theories.