New Spacecraft Seeks to Capture First Pictures of the Sun's Poles
2020-02-11
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1A new space mission is seeking to study the sun more closely than ever before.
2The mission involves a spacecraft called the Solar Orbiter, a joint project between the U.S. space agency NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
3The Solar Orbiter launched Sunday from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
4An Atlas V rocket built by U.S.-based United Launch Alliance carried it into space.
5The spacecraft contains powerful telescopes and instruments to measure solar magnetism, radio waves, particles and radiation.
6The ESA said the Solar Orbiter will get as close as 42 million kilometers from the sun.
7The mission is expected to last seven years.
8One of its main goals is to capture the first pictures of the sun's north and south poles.
9The two poles have not been photographed or mapped before.
10This is because they are far from the area known as the ecliptic plane.
11This is the imaginary plane that extends from the Sun's equator.
12It is also the plane where all the planets orbit.
13The Solar Orbiter aims to leave this plane to take pictures of and study the Sun's north and south poles.
14Holly Gilbert is a NASA project scientist for the Solar Orbiter.
15She explained in a video that the spacecraft will require more energy to launch into areas outside of the ecliptic plane.
16Mission officials said the Solar Orbiter will use the gravitational force of Earth and Venus to break free of the ecliptic plane.
17The Solar Orbiter's instruments will examine the sun through small windows on a 38-centimeter thick titanium metal shield.
18The shield is designed to protect the spacecraft from temperatures as high as 520 degrees Celsius.
19It also shields the instruments from a flow of high-energy particles produced by solar wind.
20Scientists believe that being able to study the sun's poles more closely should help them to understand the sun's activity better.
21Only one other spacecraft, Ulysses, has passed over the sun's north and south poles.
22However, Ulysses never got as close to the sun, orbiting at the same distance as the Earth.
23In addition, the instruments on Ulysses, which was launched in 1990, were not as sensitive as those on the current mission.
24NASA says the Solar Orbiter will pass closer to the sun than the planet Mercury.
25This will place the spacecraft's imaging equipment at an "ideal distance to get a comprehensive view of the sun and its surrounding atmosphere."
26The discoveries it makes could help us better understand how the Sun affects the solar system.
27For example, scientists say the Solar Orbiter mission could lead to a better understanding of the solar cycle, which lasts about 11 years.
28During the cycle, the sun's magnetic field completely flips.
29This means the sun's north and south magnetic poles change places.
30They then flip back after another 11 years.
31Scientists want to answer many questions about the solar cycle.
32Before the flip happens, there is a major increase in solar activity.
33This activity can send powerful streams of solar particles into space that could harm astronauts or damage satellites.
34The Solar Orbiter was designed to observe such activity.
35NASA says the spacecraft's instruments can collect data on the solar material and measure it.
36Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla is a NASA project scientist for the mission.
37She said she thinks the Solar Orbiter spacecraft can "dramatically" change scientists' understanding of the sun.
38"I will say that we are living in a revolutionary moment in our field," she said.
39I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A new space mission is seeking to study the sun more closely than ever before. 2The mission involves a spacecraft called the Solar Orbiter, a joint project between the U.S. space agency NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). 3The Solar Orbiter launched Sunday from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. An Atlas V rocket built by U.S.-based United Launch Alliance carried it into space. 4The spacecraft contains powerful telescopes and instruments to measure solar magnetism, radio waves, particles and radiation. 5The ESA said the Solar Orbiter will get as close as 42 million kilometers from the sun. The mission is expected to last seven years. One of its main goals is to capture the first pictures of the sun's north and south poles. 6The two poles have not been photographed or mapped before. This is because they are far from the area known as the ecliptic plane. This is the imaginary plane that extends from the Sun's equator. It is also the plane where all the planets orbit. The Solar Orbiter aims to leave this plane to take pictures of and study the Sun's north and south poles. 7Holly Gilbert is a NASA project scientist for the Solar Orbiter. She explained in a video that the spacecraft will require more energy to launch into areas outside of the ecliptic plane. 8Mission officials said the Solar Orbiter will use the gravitational force of Earth and Venus to break free of the ecliptic plane. 9The Solar Orbiter's instruments will examine the sun through small windows on a 38-centimeter thick titanium metal shield. The shield is designed to protect the spacecraft from temperatures as high as 520 degrees Celsius. It also shields the instruments from a flow of high-energy particles produced by solar wind. 10Scientists believe that being able to study the sun's poles more closely should help them to understand the sun's activity better. 11Only one other spacecraft, Ulysses, has passed over the sun's north and south poles. However, Ulysses never got as close to the sun, orbiting at the same distance as the Earth. In addition, the instruments on Ulysses, which was launched in 1990, were not as sensitive as those on the current mission. 12NASA says the Solar Orbiter will pass closer to the sun than the planet Mercury. This will place the spacecraft's imaging equipment at an "ideal distance to get a comprehensive view of the sun and its surrounding atmosphere." The discoveries it makes could help us better understand how the Sun affects the solar system. 13For example, scientists say the Solar Orbiter mission could lead to a better understanding of the solar cycle, which lasts about 11 years. During the cycle, the sun's magnetic field completely flips. This means the sun's north and south magnetic poles change places. They then flip back after another 11 years. Scientists want to answer many questions about the solar cycle. 14Before the flip happens, there is a major increase in solar activity. This activity can send powerful streams of solar particles into space that could harm astronauts or damage satellites. The Solar Orbiter was designed to observe such activity. NASA says the spacecraft's instruments can collect data on the solar material and measure it. 15Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla is a NASA project scientist for the mission. She said she thinks the Solar Orbiter spacecraft can "dramatically" change scientists' understanding of the sun. "I will say that we are living in a revolutionary moment in our field," she said. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on information from NASA and the European Space Agency. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 18We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 19____________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21mission - n. a task or job that someone is given to do 22plane -n. an imaginary, flat surface 23ideal - adj. the best possible 24comprehensive - adj. including everything 25cycle - n. a series of events that happen in a particular order and are often repeated 26flip - v. turn something onto a different side 27dramatically - adv. very sudden or notable