Welcome to the 10th International LISA Symposium

As the launch time of LISA Pathfinder draws near, there is increasing effort being employed on the final preparation and development of the investigations planned to be executed during the science operations phase. In addition, the associated data analysis procedures for each investigation need to be identified, developed and tested. Due to the relatively short duration of the mission, and because of the large number of investigations we wish to perform, the on-line analysis and assessment of each investigation is essential for the successful planning of the mission time-line. This talk will review the entire data analysis effort and present an overview of the planned investigations which will be performed in order to fully characterise LISA Pathfinder, highlighting results of the testing of the investigations and analysis procedures on mission simulators, exposing the operational environment and how it impacts on the investigations and analysis, and giving an insight into the operational time-line and the philosophy behind it.

LISA Pathfinder uses heterodyne interferometry as the primary measurement method. The interferometer measures the changes in position and angles of the inertial test masses with respect to the spacecraft and each other. A very similar interferometric system will be used for the local measurement in eLISA. We detail the design of the interferometric system for LPF, showing the main performance drivers. We also describe the construction and testing of the system, showing it has achieved or exceeded its performance goals.

The Gravitational Reference Sensor (GRS) is a key element for achieving the demanding test mass free-fall purity required by space-based gravitational wave detectors. LISA Pathfinder will fly a GRS, a capacitive sensor with mm gaps, that is used to provide test mass position measurement and the actuation abilities for the drag-free control loop, without being a source of excess force noise. This talk will overview the careful GRS design, implementation and performance verification strategies that have been critical in achieving the demanding goal. We describe the torsion pendulums that, with their ability to reproduce free-fall conditions on the ground, have allowed us to consolidate our model of force noise originating in the GRS, with a measurement campaign that has served as a starting point for the LISA Pathfinder in-flight experimental plan.

The Space Technology 7 Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) is an in-space technology demonstration sponsored by the NASA Physics of the Cosmos program designed to validate precision flight control technologies required for future missions such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and consists of two Colloid Micro-Newton Thruster (CMNT) clusters, an Integrated Avionics Unit (IAU) and flight software needed to demonstrate drag-free control of ESA’s LISA Pathfinder (LPF) spacecraft. The DRS was flight qualified and delivered for integration onto LPF in the summer of 2009. On completion of spacecraft level environmental and integration testing, the system is planned for launch and a flight demonstration in July 2015.