The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP) was an American satellite science project designed to test the principle of equivalence of general relativity. The experiment had to be sensitive enough to test Einstein's theory of gravitation and other theories. The project developed by Stanford University in response to a 2007 NASA Small Explorer Call for Proposals was not successful.
The experiment used a dragless satellite (in) composed of an outer envelope surrounding a test mass. The hull protects the latter from the influence of the solar wind, the atmospheric drag, the Earth's magnetic field and all the other effects that could disrupt its free-fall movement: the accelerations of the outer envelope that bring it closer to the mass are detected and systematically compensated using thrusters. code Related articlechange code edit code
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