NASA launches spacecraft to explore the mysteries of the Sun in 2018

NASA plans to launch an unmanned probe to the Sun to answer three big mysteries about the star.

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In 2018, NASA plans to launch an unmanned probe called Solar Probe Plus to the Sun, according to Live Science. Earth is 149 million kilometers from the Sun, and Solar Probe Plus is expected to approach a position within 6 million kilometers of the Sun.

"This is the first human mission to the Sun. We won't be able to reach the surface of the Sun, but the spacecraft will get close enough to answer three important questions," said Eric Christian, a specialist working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

NASA sent the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft to the Sun in 2018. Photo: Live Science.

First, the mission helps explain why the surface of the Sun is not as hot as its atmosphere, known as the corona. The surface of the Sun is about 5,500 degrees Celsius, while the upper atmosphere is a whopping 2 million degrees Celsius.

"Usually the farther away from the heat source it gets, the colder it gets. So why the Sun's atmosphere is hotter than the surface is really a big mystery," Christian said.

Second, scientists want to find answers about how the solar wind accelerates. "The Sun blows charged particles in all directions at a speed of 1.6 million kilometers per hour. But we don't understand how it accelerates," Christian says.

Third, the Solar Probe Plus mission helps determine what causes the Sun to occasionally emit high-energy particles that can be dangerous to astronauts and unprotected spacecraft.

The spacecraft flying 6 million kilometers from the Sun faces many challenges, the main one being the extremely high temperature. To deal with this problem, NASA scientists designed a shield made of composite materials based on carbon fiber, 11.4 cm thick. It is capable of withstanding the temperature outside the spacecraft of about 1,370 degrees Celsius.

In addition, the spacecraft is equipped with special heat pipes that can release the heat absorbed through the spacecraft's shield into space, to protect the electronic equipment inside from damage.

According to VNE