Space interferometry mission as a test of Lorentz length contraction

A basic tenet of special relativity is the concept of length contraction seen by an observer in motion. Lorentz contraction, which changes the apparent location of a light source, combines with aberration, which changes the apparent direction to the source, producing a variety of effects. While aberration has been confirmed, Lorentz contraction has never been tested directly, due to the generally negligible size of the effect. As the Earth orbits the sun, Lorentz contraction offsets the apparent position of a distant source by as much as 18 micro-arcseconds (μas) per degree of separation. This offset is in addition to that caused by aberration. The space interferometry mission, due for launch in 2005, promises a resolution of ±1 μas in a field of view of one degree, allowing for the first time the direct confirmation of Lorentz length contraction, one-hundred years after the introduction of Einstein´s special theory of relativity in 1905