The prototype LISA telescope undergoes post-delivery inspection in a darkened NASA Goddard clean room. (Photo: Nasa)

Nasa reveals first look at six telescopes tasked with detecting gravitational waves

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (Lisa) mission is a collaborative effort between Nasa and the European Space Agency (ESA) set to launch in the mid-2030s.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein in 1915
  • They travel at the speed of light and are created by violent astrophysical events
  • The Lisa mission will employ an innovative design consisting of three spacecraft

Nasa has revealed the first full-scale prototype of six telescopes that will revolutionise our understanding of the universe through space-based gravitational wave detection.

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (Lisa) mission is a collaborative effort between Nasa and the European Space Agency (ESA) set to launch in the mid-2030s.

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime, caused by massive objects accelerating through space. Predicted by Albert Einstein in 1915 as part of his theory of general relativity, they travel at the speed of light and are created by violent astrophysical events, such as the collision of black holes or neutron stars, or the explosion of massive stars in supernovae.

The primary mirror is coated in gold to better reflect the infrared lasers and to reduce heat loss. (Photo: Nasa)

WHAT WILL LISA DO?

The Lisa mission will employ an innovative design consisting of three spacecraft arranged in a triangular formation, with each side spanning nearly 1.6 million miles.

This vast configuration, larger than the Sun itself, will use lasers to measure minuscule distance changes between the spacecraft, detecting gravitational waves from cosmic events like merging black holes.

At the heart of this groundbreaking technology are the twin telescopes aboard each spacecraft.

Nasa is responsible for providing all six of these crucial components. The recently unveiled prototype, dubbed the Engineering Development Unit Telescope, will serve as a guide for developing the final flight hardware.

Manufactured by L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, the prototype telescope arrived at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center in May. Its primary mirror features a gold coating to enhance infrared laser reflection and minimise heat loss in the cold vacuum of space.

The full-scale Engineering Development Unit Telescope for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, still in its shipping frame. (Photo: Nasa)

The telescope is constructed entirely from Zerodur, an amber-coloured glass-ceramic known for its exceptional thermal stability. This material, produced by Schott in Mainz, Germany, is crucial for maintaining the telescope's precise shape across a wide range of temperatures.

Lisa's unprecedented sensitivity will allow it to detect gravitational waves down to picometer scales - trillionths of a meter. This capability will open up new avenues for studying the universe, complementing traditional astronomical observations and advancing our understanding of cosmic phenomena.

As the Lisa mission progresses towards its planned mid-2030s launch, this telescope prototype represents a significant technological achievement. It brings us one step closer to unlocking the gravitational wave universe and revolutionizing our view of the cosmos.