Underground ring lasers will put general relativity to the test

Physicists have started work on a new experiment that aims to measure a very subtle prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity known as the Lense–Thirring effect. Describing the distortion of space–time by a spinning mass, the effect has previously been measured by NASA's LAGEOS satellites to an accuracy of 10%. Now, the Gyroscopes in General Relativity (GINGER) experiment will try to measure the effect under Italy's Gran Sasso mountain to an accuracy of about 1%.