There is also an effort to get these detectors in space with eLISA: http://physics.aps.org/articles/v9/63 This will be able to detect wave frequencies that would normally be drowned out by terrestrial sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolved_Laser_Interferometer_S...
A precursor concept of a zero-drag satellite can be seen in Stargate SG1: "The Serpent's Venom", where an armed mine from an orbital minefield is brought aboard a shuttle, and the pilot must match the mine's trajectory changes.
Also, your comment would be much nicer without the first sentence. And if you think about it, umbrellas are pretty neat. The folding mechanism is nifty, if you ask me.
I have a similar reaction to Egan's Permutation City when the couple living in the simulation adjust the clock rate so the computer running them only executes one clock tick every second, every day, every year, every million years, every billion years, every trillion years, etc. Puts me in a contemplative mood.