A friend of mine was telling me about the graviton.  Apparently the 
graviton is a sub atomic partical that, in and of itself, has little 
effect of the world around it.  In mass they are the source of gravity as 
we know it.  The problem with measuring gravitons and their effect on the 
world are two things, gravety bends light, and, theoreticaly, space.  You 
can't really test one without the other.  If graviton's can bend space, 
or at least contort it would it possible to traverse this space?  What 
kind of gravety well is needed to bend space enough to make a noticable 
difference?  Am I even close on this?

OKay...  I'll take a stab at this...  I'm not going to claim that I have all
of this down... in fact I did my research on gravitons about 12 years ago...
so it may be a little out of date.  

First the graviton is a _theorhetical_ particle used to explain how gravity
works, as I understand it, the theorheitical need exists because modern
physics is trying very hard to explain ALL physical interactions on a prime
level as particle interactions.  No one has proven, or even seen a graviton,
but it seems that they are here to stay.  As I understand it the particle is
supposed to be massless (or very nearly so) and conitnually being emitted by
all matter... but the attraction is very weak individually, you would need
large numbers of gravitons to make a noticeble effect.  

Now the problem with finding and measuring a graviton is not that it bends
space... we live in a fairly strong gravity well, and so have lived in bent
space all our lives.  <grin>  Rather the problem is that the theory of the
graviton insists that gravity is an incrimental force.  And you should be
able to measure an incremental, versus a gradual, change in a gravity
field...  but because of the theory...  remember each individual graviton is
of neglible effect, so finding this incremental change is going to be long
hard work.  If it can be done at all.  

As for the question of curved space and noticing it...  with lasers bounced
off the moon I believe that a properly tuned series of instruments can detect
the effect of the Earth's gravitation on the path of the light.  So that is a
measurealbe change.  <grin>  For it to be visible to the naked eye, however?
 Oy, vey...  That would have to be massive....  at least several Solar
Masses, I expect.  

Having said that... it is possible to measure, from orbit, something call
masscons, or mass concentrations, where the local density of an area is
signifigantly higher than the average for the planet, such as a large
mountain, or a meteorite impact crater.  There is a device called a Forward
Mass Detector, which does this, and analysis of orbits can do the same thing.
 The most interesting way that I have heard, though, was that a radar bouced
off the ocean's surface can detect average height differences of as small as
fractions of a millimeter...  And that this allows for more accurate and
intriguing oceanographic maps than ever before possible.  

I hope that this gives you some of the information you were looking for.
 <smiles>  

Disclaimer:  I am a Chemical and Radiological Technician, not a theorist... I
may be mistaken, in what I have claimed.  


                       -Mike  (the OtakuLoki)