CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Scientists plan to make history with the Solar Orbital Mission set to launch this Sunday from Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft will take the first-ever pictures of the north and south poles of the sun.
The European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter will join NASA’s Parker Solar Probe that was launched in 2018. The mission is a partnership between NASA and the ESA to study the sun and how it functions.
“The two spacecraft will work together: As Parker samples solar particles up close, Solar Orbiter will capture imagery from farther away, contextualizing the observations. The two spacecraft will also occasionally align to measure the same magnetic field lines or streams of solar wind at different times,” NASA said in a news release.
United Launch Alliance will launch the spacecraft Sunday on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The two-hour launch window opens at 11:03 p.m. ET.
What is the Solar Orbiter?
The Solar Orbiter is a spacecraft that will carry 10 different instruments, including high-resolution telescopes and measuring devices, designed to create a comprehensive picture of the sun’s poles and inner workings.
The spacecraft will travel as close as 26 million miles from the Sun. It will have to withstand temperatures of from minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit to over 900 degrees Fahrenheit so, to protect the instruments, the craft is equipped with a titanium heat shield that has a calcium phosphate coating, said Anne Pacros, the payload manager at the European Space Agency’s European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands.
Why haven’t we taken a picture of the polar regions before?
Most other spacecraft have studied the sun by orbiting it in the same fashion as the planets in our solar system, roughly aligned to the sun’s equator. For this mission, Solar Orbiter will study the sun at a tilt in orbit letting it view the sun’s poles more directly.
The reason for this unusual orbit is because unlike orbiting the sun’s equator, the highly inclined orbit allows for more accurate data to be collected because when studying the sun’s magnetic field, the more direct the viewing angle, the better data is collected.
To break out of the planetary orbit, the spacecraft will need to use a lot more energy than usual missions require. After launching, the Solar Orbiter will use Earth’s and Venus’ gravity to slingshot itself out of orbit and in view of the sun’s polar regions to take the first-ever images of the sun’s polar regions.
What do they hope to discover from this?
Mission scientists say the spacecraft might be the key to discovering what drives the sun’s activity. Scientists hope to understand how the sun creates and controls the space environment in our solar system to the point where they can predict space weather patterns.
At its fastest, the Solar Orbiter will travel almost as fast as the sun’s rotation which will allow it to study how a single solar feature, such as a solar flare, evolves over time.
Why study the sun?
As the star of our solar system, the sun directly affects the Earth and the rest of the planets. While the sun allows life to flourish on Earth, it can also trigger dangerous space weather.
The sun’s magnetic field acts as a superhighway for solar wind. According to NASA, if scientists can understand and predict these events, then they can take preventative measures to make sure they don’t cause any harm or damage.
What does this mean for you?
If space weather can be predicted, then technology can be improved and measures can be taken to prevent disruptions on and around Earth. Dangerous space weather can damage satellites which can interrupt services such as GPS as well as disrupt radio communication down on Earth. It can even interfere with power grids and endanger the lives of astronauts aboard the ISS.