February 9, A small spacecraft embarked on an unprecedented journey through space – getting closer to the sun compared to other man-made objects.
Solarbitbiter has been traveling in space for almost a year, and on December 27, it took the first rest of its journey: a short flyby of Venus that will fuel the second half of the spacecraft’s journey.
Here is the background – Solar Orbiter is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency. Its purpose is to answer some unanswered, yet fundamental, questions of scientists about the Sun. What drives the solar wind? How does the sun’s magnetic field affect solar activity? And how does the star affect the solar system, including our own planet?
Using the gravitational growth resulting from the Earth’s flyby and Venus’ journey, the spacecraft will take about two years to reach its target position on the Sun.
What is new – On Sunday, the solarbiter used Venus’s gravitational pull to slightly pump its brakes, and set itself on the right path toward the sun, mission scientists announced on Twitter.
During the flyby, the spacecraft collected valuable data on the most hellish planet in the solar system, which scientists are eager to dive into. Scientists on their mission predict that, according to their Twitter updates, it will take a few days to fully analyze the data.
The Solar Orbiter collected magnetometer, particles, plasma and radio data that could provide insights into how Venus interacts with the solar wind.
What’s next – This is the first of many flybies on Venus, with the Sun orbiting a small planet in every few orbits around the Sun to accommodate its eclipse. Solarbit Rbiter’s next Venus Flyby Gust is scheduled for 2021.
In early June, the spacecraft approached 48 million miles from the star’s surface, half the distance between the Sun and Earth.
By 2025, the solar orbiter will pass first through the sun towards 17 thrusts, which will later turn towards l 33 degrees by the end of the decade. It will bring the polar regions of the sun into direct view.
The solar bitwriter is designed to take the most accurate measurements of the sun’s solar wind and, for the first time, to view the sun’s magnetic poles from alt altitude to capture altitude. To do that, it uses a completely new technology that will enable it to withstand the scorching heat of the sun.
The spacecraft carries 10 scientific instruments. Six of them are remote sensors, capturing images of the sun, while the remaining four are immovable devices, which will measure the surrounding atmosphere of a spacecraft made up of solar wind, plasma and particles.
The Sun’s orbit will travel in an elliptical orbit around the Sun and complete one orbit every 168 days.
Eventually, it will travel beyond the limits of the solar system and look at the sun, imaging the star from alt altitude. From its unique solution point, the craft is in the process of obtaining the first images of the Sun’s polar regions, providing scientists with a better understanding of how solar activity is affected by the Sun’s magnetic field.
