Kelly Holley-Bockelmann

And so LISA is really going to be developing that technology.

The communication, laser communication, is going to be something that we'll need to have prepared.

And so all of these technological pieces, which have nothing to do with gravitational waves, are being developed and will be really useful for things that are our nation's priorities.

No, really, GPS is not going to be sufficient for where we need to go in the future.

And Lisa really helps us get there.

I'm sure there's probably an acronym, but if not, I will ask my friends.

So actually, I have a friend right across from the hall from me at work who is part of the effort to do to nanograph, which is this pulsar timing array.

And one of the things he specialized in was recognizing that the pulsars, when you timed them, they gave you there.

You needed to know where you were in the solar system.

So what is called the solar system barycenter.

You needed to know your position in the solar system really, really well.

And so far, we calculated it wrong.

And so that had added a big error to whatever they were calculating.

And so that Pulsar stuff helped us understand our place in the solar system.

Our own place in the solar system.

Our own place, right.

Well, right now we are the junior partner to ESA.

And for those of you who are concerned that Lisa would not go without us, ESA is fully prepared to be able to go on with the mission without the U.S.

participation.

before gravitational waves were detected.