4 ms·
When you're in freefall, an accelerometer tells you nothing :). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_principle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_pri
by ISL 11y ago
When you're in freefall, an accelerometer tells you nothing :).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_principle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_principle
- mikeash 11y agoTwo accelerometers could tell you something! They probably aren't sensitive enough to get the job done at that scale, though.
- ISL 11y agoTrue! Modern gravity gradiometers/differential accelerometers probably are sensitive enough for coarse orientation, particularly if they were deployed at the perimeter of the sail. To do so would, of course, obliterate LightSail's budget :) Source: worked on R&D for the LISA inertial reference system.