science
In the early Monday morning, a carrier rocket with a spacecraft on board starts a long-term journey towards the sun in Florida. Part of the “Solar Orbiter” are several devices with technology from Styria. At the Graz Institute for Space Research you are there live at the start.
09.02.2020 14.14
Online since today, 14.14
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The so-called “Solar Orbiter” starts Monday morning at 5:03 am Central European time. A launch vehicle will launch him from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is where the satellite’s three and a half year journey towards the sun begins.
The main objective of the ESA mission is to study the solar winds. The orbiter will approach the polar regions of the sun up to 42 million kilometers. The heat shield of the probe must keep temperatures of around 500 degrees from the valuable technology. There are small openings for the instruments in the heat shield. To take measurements or take pictures of the sun, these slits only open briefly.
On board: technology made in Styria
The Graz Institute for Space Research is also involved in the mission with important equipment. For example, the researchers built the on-board computer for the radio wave instrument. The people of Graz are also involved in the magnetometer and they were responsible for the antenna calibration.
The mission of the Solar Orbiter will revolutionize the knowledge about our mother star, one hopes at the institute for space research. However, it will still take some time for the spacecraft to reach its destination. Over the next three and a half years, she will stalk closer to the sun in a total of eight Venus fly-by maneuvers and one Earth fly-by. In 2030, the “Solar Orbiter” should be closest to our mother star.
Live broadcast at dawn
You can experience the space probe’s move to the sun live Monday morning from 4:30 a.m. at a so-called launch event at the Graz Institute for Space Research. Videos and short lectures on the planned orbiter mission and the live broadcast of the launch will be offered.
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