United States. LIGO, a two-unit gravitational wave detector, one in Washington State and one in Louisiana, is ready to take its first data. Kip Thorne of Caltech and Rainer Weiss of MIT are coordinated by Caltech’s capable manager Barry Barish. Virgo, in Italy, entirely supported by France and Italy alone, will reach this stage in June 2003. (The United Kingdom and Germany have joined the American project.)
