Hardware Developed By UF's College Of Engineering Will Blast Off To Space With NASA

Hardware developed by the University of Florida's College of Engineering will soon be launched into space with NASA to help detect gravitational waves. The CMDs, or Charge-Memory Devices, will prevent electric charge build-up on test masses, thereby preventing noise that could disrupt the observation of gravitational waves.

According to Peter Wass, Ph.D., program manager at the PSSL, "ESA's adoption of LISA paves the way for a deeper understanding of our universe." The University of Florida is "deeply proud" of their role in this groundbreaking mission.

Measuring distances with such precision is no easy feat, as Barke explained that there are many challenges, including the fact that the spacecraft themselves are not positionally stable enough.

To address this issue, free-floating golden cubes called test masses are used, which are inside but unattached to the spacecraft. The CMDs are used to keep the cubes neutral by using a photoelectric effect to shine precise, controlled UV light onto the surfaces of the test masses, ejecting electrons and bouncing them back to the spacecraft.

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The CMDs will prevent electric charge build-up on test masses, therefore preventing the creation of noise which would disrupt the observation of gravitational waves.

Citation: MSN