Goce: Futuristic Space Probe to Check Gravity
Scientists unveiled a new weapon in the battle against global warming last week: a 16ft torpedo-shaped probe that will swoop over the atmosphere to measure Earth’s gravity with unprecedented accuracy.
The Gravity and Ocean Circulation Explorer, or Goce, has been dubbed the Ferrari of space probes because of its elegant design and will be launched early next year on a Russian SS-19 missile.
Scientists say its data on Earth’s gravitational field will be vital in understanding how ocean currents react to the heating of our planet over the next few decades.
‘Gravity is the force that drives the circulation of the oceans,’ said Dr Mark Drinkwater, Goce’s project scientist. ‘Until we understand its exact role we cannot predict how the seas - and planet - will behave as the climate gets warmer. That is why Goce is being launched.’
Ocean currents take a third of all the heat that falls on equatorial regions and carries it to higher latitudes. One of the most important is the Gulf Stream, which scientists fear could soon be destroyed or diverted by melting Arctic ice. But they need to know all the gravitational effects that influence the stream’s course across the Atlantic before they can make accurate predictions.
Date: July 29, 2007
Article: ‘Ferrari’ of probes to check Earth gravity
Reference: European Space Agency