Scientist Spends Lifetime on Space Probe

April 20 -- Francis Everitt has waited a long time for this moment. After decades of delays, and a few more anxious days of waiting, he's finally seen the successful launch of a space probe whose aim is to test Einstein's theory of general relativity.

The Gravity Probe B probe launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 12:57 p.m. ET today, following an initial delay of two days because of a short circuit, and then a further delay Monday when NASA could not verify whether some last-minute data had been loaded aboard the rocket.

But Everitt is a patient man. He has been waiting 42 years.

Everitt was a young physics researcher in 1962, just recently arrived from his native Britain, when he was recruited by physicists at Stanford University to help them on an intriguing experiment: They wanted to build a satellite to test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.

"We thought that maybe I should come to Stanford for a couple of years and see if it led anywhere," says Everitt.

He has been there ever since. He is now 69. Though he is a full professor at Stanford, he has never taught a course. He has spent all his time on general relativity.

"I think there was a strong belief in the rightness of the cause," he says carefully.

Twisting Space

Einstein's theory holds that gravity — from the Earth or anything else — is not simply a force that pulls on things. It warps and twists the space around it, ever so slightly.

Everitt and his colleagues proposed to launch a satellite with supersensitive gyroscopes on board. If Einstein was right, the gyroscopes would slowly shift from their original orientation as the ship orbited the Earth.