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The Solar Orbiter is a planned Sun-observing satellite, under development by the European Space Agency. It is estimated to be launched in October 2018. It will be launched with an Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral AFS in Florida. JOURNEY TO THE SUN This will require a cruise phase lasting approximately 3 years. (During this time, the instruments will be commissioned, and some in-situ data will be acquired. ) THE CRUISE Solar Orbiter will use gravity assists from Venus and the Earth. These swing-bys will put Solar Orbiter into a 168-day-long orbit around the Sun from which the spacecraft will begin its scientific mission. How do solar transients drive heliosphere variability? What drives the solar wind and where does the coronal magnetic field originate from? ORBIT It will reach closest approach to the Sun every five months and when travelling at its fastest, it will remain positioned over approx. the same region of the solar atmosphere as the Sun rotates on its axis. How do solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere? Science Goals How does the solar dynamo work and drive connections between the sun and the heliosphere? Heliosphere= the region of space, encompassing the solar system, in which the solar wind has a significant influence. corona= is an aura of plasma that surrounds the sun and other celestial bodies. Solar dynamo= The solar dynamo is the physical process that generates the Sun’s magnetic field. A dynamo, essentially a naturally occurring electric generator in the Sun's interior, produces electric currents and a magnetic field. In-situ Instruments Remote Instruments EPD: energetic particle detector EUI: Extreme Ultraviolet Imager MAG: Magnetometer METIS: Coronagraph RPW: Radio and Plasma Waves PHI: Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager SWA: Solar Wind Analyser SoloHI: Heliospheric Imager COURSE OF THE MISSION Venus gravity assist manoeuvres will increase inclination of the orbit, so the instruments sees the polar regions of the Sun clearly. Eventually viewing at angle s higher than 30 degrees, compared to 7 degrees from Earth. SPICE: Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment STIX: X-Ray Spectrometer/Telescope Solar Orbiter