Proofmass Caging Testbed

In order for the MGRS (Modular Gravitational Reference Sensor) to operate successfully in space, the right material must be used for the proof mass and the caging of the proof mass. In this experiment we are trying to find out which material is right by measuring the residual adhesion. During un-caging, residual adhesion can cause undesirable motion of the proof mass. The residual adhesion is estimated to be less than 10^-5 newtons, which is extremely small. Another objective of the experiment is to measure what clamping force can be achieved. We are looking for a clamping force that is about 2000 Newtons