Solar Orbiter Heading For The Sun

February 2, 2020 Off By Naveen Victor

NASA in collaboration with the European Space Agency, will be launching a spacecraft on February 7th, that will journey to the Sun in an attempt to capture pictures of the its north and south poles.

Called the Solar Orbiter, it will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Once in space, the spacecraft will use Venus and Earth’s gravity to swing itself out of the ecliptic plane. This is an area of space where all planets orbit the sun.

It’s important to study both poles for scientist to monitor the Sun’s magnetic field better, and prepare for solar storms. Charged Solar particles that are expelled by the Sun, called solar winds, can cause solar storms. These events can pose a serious threat to satellites and astronauts.

Current technology only allows for the Sun’s magnetic field to be studied from a straight-on view. The issue with that is, observing the Sun’s poles from the earth’s point of view (ecliptic plane), won’t provide accurate data to monitor the sun’s activity.

“The poles are particularly important for us to be able to model more accurately,” said Holly Gilbert, NASA project scientist for the mission. “For forecasting space weather events, we need a pretty accurate model of the global magnetic field of the Sun.”

Over the course of 7 years, which is the mission’s duration, Solar Orbiter will reach an inclination of 24 degrees above the Sun’s equator, increasing to 33 degrees. On it’s closest approach, it will pass within 26 million miles (41 million km) of the Sun.

Credits: ESA/ATG medialab

For the spacecraft to endure the Sun’s heat, it has been fitted with a custom-designed heat shield made from titanium. It’s coated with calcium phosphate, which will enable Solar Orbiter to withstand temperatures in excess of 900 degrees Fahrenheit (482 degrees Celsius).

Five of the remote-sensing instruments aboard will be able to look at the sun through peepholes in that heat shield. Another, observes the solar wind out of the other side. Live coverage of the event will be broadcast on NASA TV and its website, Friday, February 7th 2020.