Abstract
We discuss the design of apparatus being built to measure the general relativistic precession of gyroscopes in earth orbit, with emphasis on the role of cryogenics. Operation with a superconducting rotor is crucial in that it provides the only known way of attaining the required angular resolution of 0.001 arc-sec. Operation at low temperatures also provides the star tracker, to which the gyros are referenced, with excellent null stability. The boil-off gas from the large helium dewar is used to operate the vehicle in a drag-free mode which is expected to improve the gyro performance by a factor of ten. The dewar system is compatible with a wide range of experiments requiring temperatures as low as 2K in space.
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