The Orbiter probe is on its way to the Sun! The European space agency sent this Monday, February 10 at 5 am French time, its space probe from the Kennedy Space Center, in the United States. The probe's journey will last 2 years. It will travel the 150 million kilometers that separate Earth from the Sun. And its scientific mission will last between 5 and 9 years. The goal: to unravel the many mysteries of this star whose impact on Earth is significant, explains astrophysicist Tahar Amari on Europe 1.
It is the first time that an object will approach so close to the Sun: at 42 million km. The European exploration mission will observe this star at an unrivaled resolution to uncover the secrets that revolve around this luminous star. Besides heat and light, the Sun also sends us storms charged with particles that we hope to better predict, because they can affect us on Earth, details astrophysicist Tahar Amari on Europe 1. "When the sun sneezes, it is the whole Earth that catches a cold. It can affect electrical systems as it did in 1989 and that it did it at other times as well, "said the expert.
Better equip spaceships and equipment
The astrophysicist lists what can be affected during a solar flare: "Refrigeration systems or for drugs and for food, it can be mobile phones, it can be radars. This whole environment is modified by a solar flare. "
These solar storms can impact expeditions to the Moon or to Mars. Thus, by being able to foresee them better, this could make it possible to better equip the vessels and the equipment dedicated to space.