Science Goals
The goal of APOLLO is to push LLR into the millimeter range precision, which then translates directly into an order-of-magnitude improvement in the determination of fundamental physics parameters. Specifically, assuming improvements of a factor of ten over prior measurements, APOLLO will test:
- the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) to a part in ,
- the Strong Equivalence Principle (SEP) to a few parts in ,
- de Sitter relativistic precession to a few parts in, and
- the time variation of the Gravitational constant G to a part in per year.
Read more about this topic: Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation
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