Astrophysics

Gravity Probe B (GP-B)

Pointed Observatory · Directed · PI-led · Launched on April 20, 2004 · Completed · LCC: $709M/$1.4B (2025 $)Life-cycle cost: NASA’s reported cost to build, launch, and operate a mission through its prime mission, plus documented partner contributions, in 2025 dollars. Extended missions are not included. Methods · Wikipedia

Scope Active Mission WindowActivePapers published from the first full month after science operations begin through two years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. For GP-B, papers published September 1, 2004 to January 1, 2013. Methods LifetimeLifetimeEvery tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. For GP-B, papers published from 2004 to November 3, 2026. Methods
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed papers we found that name the mission or its instruments in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. Papers that used the data without naming it are missed. Methods124
CitationsCitations: every citation these publications have drawn to date. Older missions have had longer to collect them. Methods3,813
Citation indices
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods29
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods58
m-indexm-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes; the figure shown is as of November 3, 2026. It also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods1.3
toritori (total research impact, from SciX): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Always over every tracked publication to date, whichever scope is chosen. Methods39
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Like tori, always over every tracked publication to date. Methods272

Publications and citations by year (lifetime)

Publications per yearCumulative citations

Institutional contributions (lifetime)The institutions SciX lists for each paper’s authors, as printed on the paper, located through the Research Organization Registry. A square counts a paper once, however many of its authors worked there. Methods

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Tracked publications over the lifetime (124)

All publications CSV · JSON

  1. Gravity Probe B: Final Results of a Space Experiment to Test General Relativity

    Everitt, C. W. F., 2011, PhRvL

    757 lifetime citations

  2. A confirmation of the general relativistic prediction of the Lense-Thirring effect

    Ciufolini, I., 2004, Natur

    424 lifetime citations

  3. Constraints on perturbative f(R) gravity via neutron stars

    Arapoǧlu, Savaș, 2011, JCAP

    202 lifetime citations

  4. The Gravity Probe B test of general relativity

    Everitt, C. W. F., 2015, CQGra

    125 lifetime citations

  5. Slowly rotating stars and black holes in dynamical Chern-Simons gravity

    Ali-Haïmoud, Yacine, 2011, PhRvD

    107 lifetime citations

  6. Constraining torsion with Gravity Probe B

    Mao, Yi, 2007, PhRvD

    100 lifetime citations

  7. On the 1/c expansion of f(R) gravity

    Näf, Joachim, 2010, PhRvD

    92 lifetime citations

  8. Tests of Lorentz Symmetry in the Gravitational Sector

    Hees, Aurélien, 2016, Univ

    90 lifetime citations

  9. On Poincaré gauge theory of gravity, its equations of motion, and Gravity Probe B

    Hehl, Friedrich W., 2013, PhLA

    89 lifetime citations

  10. New Post-Newtonian Parameter to Test Chern-Simons Gravity

    Alexander, Stephon, 2007, PhRvL

    86 lifetime citations

  11. Constraining models of extended gravity using Gravity Probe B and LARES experiments

    Capozziello, S., 2015, PhRvD

    70 lifetime citations

  12. New pulsar limit on local Lorentz invariance violation of gravity in the standard-model extension

    Shao, Lijing, 2014, PhRvD

    69 lifetime citations

  13. Can Gravity Probe B usefully constrain torsion gravity theories?

    Flanagan, Éanna É., 2007, PhRvD

    65 lifetime citations

  14. On-orbit performance of Gravity Probe B drag-free translation control and orbit determination

    Li, J., 2007, AdSpR

    59 lifetime citations

  15. Limits on violations of Lorentz symmetry from Gravity Probe B

    Bailey, Quentin G., 2013, PhRvD

    59 lifetime citations

  16. Gravitomagnetic Influence on Gyroscopes and on the Lunar Orbit

    Murphy, T. W., Jr., 2007, PhRvL

    58 lifetime citations

  17. Spontaneous Lorentz symmetry-breaking constraints in Kalb-Ramond gravity

    Junior, Ednaldo L. B., 2024, EPJC

    53 lifetime citations

  18. Empirical Foundations of the Relativistic Gravity

    Ni, Wei-Tou, 2005, IJMPD

    49 lifetime citations

  19. Constraints on noncommutative spectral action from Gravity Probe B and torsion balance experiments

    Lambiase, Gaetano, 2013, JCAP

    46 lifetime citations

  20. Lorentz symmetry and very long baseline interferometry

    Le Poncin-Lafitte, C., 2016, PhRvD

    44 lifetime citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Science Explorer (SciX) for peer-reviewed articles naming GP-B in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces.

((=abs:"Gravity Probe B" OR (=abs:"GP B" AND abs:(gyroscope OR relativity)))) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[2004-09 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "ACPD" OR "AIASJ" OR "AMTD" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "BGD" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "CliPD" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "ESDD" OR "ESSDD" OR "ESuDD" OR "GID" OR "GMDD" OR "GeCAS" OR "HESSD" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NHESD" OR "NPGD" OR "NewSc" OR "OcScD" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SOILD" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "TCD" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (12)

  1. The confrontation between general relativity and experiment Mentions GP-B only as an upcoming experiment; uses none of its results. Decision 🤖
  2. Are artificial satellites orbits influenced by an expanding Earth? Mentions GP-B only as a model for future satellites; uses none of its data. Decision 🤖
  3. Was Einstein right? Mentions GP-B only as a future experiment that could test relativity; uses none of its results. Decision 🤖
  4. COMMENTS, REPLIES AND NOTES: Comment on 'Evidence of the gravitomagnetic field of Mars' Comment on another paper about Mars Global Surveyor; mentions GP-B only for comparison. Decision 🤖
  5. Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle:. Overview and Progress Overview of the proposed STEP mission; mentions GP-B only as technology heritage. Decision 🤖
  6. At Long Last, Gravity Probe B Satellite Proves Einstein Right News story on the GP-B result; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  7. Hydroxide catalysis bonding for astronomical instruments Review of an optical bonding technique; mentions GP-B only as an early application. Decision 🤖
  8. Ground testing and flight demonstration of charge management of insulated test masses using UV-LED electron photoemission Describes a charge-management demonstration on another satellite; mentions GP-B only as heritage. Decision 🤖
  9. Measuring general relativistic dragging effects in the Earth’s gravitational field with ELXIS: a proposal Proposes a new relativity satellite; quotes GP-B only for current accuracy levels. Decision 🤖
  10. Flight and ground demonstration of reproducibility and stability of photoelectric properties for passive charge management using LEDs Describes a charge-management demonstration on another satellite; mentions GP-B only as heritage. Decision 🤖
  11. Hydroxide-catalysis bonding for stable optical systems for space Develops an optical bonding technique for future missions; mentions GP-B only as its origin. Decision 🤖
  12. Focus issue: Gravity Probe B Editorial preface to a journal focus issue; not a research paper. Decision 🤖