- Cape Canaveral, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft on the launch pad
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by Andrea Bettini CAPE CANAVERAL (FLORIDA) 09 February 2020 It is directed towards the Sun and throughout the day the Sun accompanied it towards the moment of its launch, illuminating Cape Canaveral with a day of those that in Italy are seen only in late spring. A small auspicious sign for those who have been working on the Solar Orbiter mission for over 20 years and are eagerly awaiting the departure of his creature, scheduled for late in the evening, when in Italy it will be 5.03 on Monday morning.Unprecedented data
ESA's probe, with strong NASA participation, will provide scientists with information with unprecedented level of detail about our star. Heliosphere, solar activity, origins of the Sun's magnetic field, the first images of the poles, which are almost completely hidden from Earth.
Ready pitcher
An Atlas V launcher from the United Launch Alliance will lead her into space. Imposing, with its almost 60 meters high, it was brought to the launch pad 41 of the Kennedy Space Center yesterday. Its rumble will be felt miles away, its ascent into the sky will be visible in some moments even from the Bahamas Islands and the eastern coast of Cuba, hundreds of kilometers from Cape Canaveral.
A long journey through the Solar System
Once in space Solar Orbiter will begin a long journey of two years, with passages close to Earth and Venus to take advantage of the gravitational wave effect. In 2022 it will enter the final orbit, from which its ten scientific instruments will collect the long-awaited data. Every five months it will pass closer to the Sun on the planet Mercury, just 42 million kilometers away. The probe is built to withstand temperatures above 500 degrees centigrade. A special heat shield will defend it, specially designed to protect the delicate on-board instruments.
The eve of the Italians
The wait is also growing in Italy. ASI; INAF, CNR and several universities have developed the METIS coronograph. "It will observe the solar corona - explains Marco Castronuovo, responsible for METIS for ASI - It is a very important region especially for the generation of the solar wind, which has repercussions on all technological activities on Earth". "The launch is the crowning of a dream - says Clementina Sasso of INAF - Then another phase of great work will open, both in the next two years and when the data will begin to arrive". In addition to METIS, two other on-board instruments have had an Italian contribution, also from industry, while Leonardo has created the sensors that will allow Solar Orbiter to orient itself in space.