https://phys.org/news/2022-12-space-ato ... ature.html
Studying an atomic clock on-board a spacecraft inside the orbit of Mercury and very near to the sun might be the trick to uncovering the nature of dark matter, suggests a new study published in Nature Astronomy.
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The technology to put their theory to the test already exists. Eby says the NASA Parker Solar Probe, which has been operating since 2018 with the help of shielding, has traveled closer to the sun than any human-made craft in history, and is currently operating inside the orbit of Mercury, with plans to move even closer to the sun within a year.
Cost of Parker Solar Probe? $1.5 BILLION in 2018 dollars. And note that in 2019, NASA launched the Deep Space Atomic Clock Mission (DSAC). It cost (https://bigthink.com/hard-science/deep- ... mic-clock/) just $80 million dollars, but all it had to do was survive the environment of deep space. The Parker Solar Probe had to withstand 1400 degree temperatures. Given the difference in environment, location and inflation since PSP was developed and built, I’d wager this DM dark matter experiment would easily cost half a billion dollars at least … of YOUR money. And you just know they'd make it more complicated than it has to be. So probably a billion minimum. Do you really want to fund that in this time of economic stress?