Measurement of the Lense-Thirring Drag on High-Altitude, Laser-Ranged Artificial Satellites

We describe a new method of measuring the Lense-Thirring relativistic nodal drag using LAGEOS together with another similar high-altitude, laser-ranged satellite with appropriately chosen orbital parameters. We propose, for this purpose, that a future satellite such as LAGEOS II have an inclination supplementary to that of LAGEOS. The experiment proposed here would provide a method for experimental verification of the general relativistic formulation of Mach's principle and measurement of the gravitomagnetic field.