Editing Gravity Probe B (section)

== History ==
[[Image:Gravity Probe turning axis.gif|thumb|A representation of the geodetic effect.]]

The conceptual design for this mission was first proposed by an [[MIT]] professor, George Pugh, who was working with the [[U.S. Department of Defense]] in <time>1959</time> and later discussed by [[Leonard Schiff]] ([[Stanford University|Stanford]]) in <time>1960</time> at Pugh's suggestion, based partly on a theoretical paper about detecting frame dragging that Schiff had written in <time>1957</time>. It was proposed to NASA in <time>1961</time>, and they supported the project with funds in <time>1964</time>. This grant ended in <time>1977</time> after a long phase of [[engineering]] research into the basic requirements and tools for the satellite.

In <time>1986</time> NASA changed plans for the [[Space Shuttle]], which forced the mission team to switch from a shuttle-based launch design to one that was based on the Delta 2, and in <time>1995</time> tests planned of a prototype on a shuttle flight were cancelled as well.

Gravity Probe B marks the first time that Stanford University has been in control of the development and operations of a space satellite funded by NASA.

The total cost of the project was about $750 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/73870/title/Gravity_Probe_B_finally_pays_off_ |title=Gravity Probe B finally pays off |author=Devin Powell |date=4 May 2011 |work=Science News |access-date=7 May 2011 |archive-date=30 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930181448/http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/73870/title/Gravity_probe_B_finally_pays_off_ |url-status=dead }}</ref>