Solar Probe Plus – Delta IV H/Star-48BV – Canaveral SLC-37B – 12.08.2018 в 07:31 UTC

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ЦитироватьFirst Perihelion: Into the Unknown - Parker Solar Probe

JHU Applied Physics Laboratory

Опубликовано: 2 нояб. 2018 г.

Спойлер
At about 10:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 5, Parker Solar Probe will achieve its first perihelion - its first close approach to the Sun - and will come within 15 million miles of the Sun's surface. During perihelion, the spacecraft will reach a top speed of 213,200 miles per hour relative to the Sun.

This speed and distance will mark new records for both closest solar approach and top heliocentric speed by a spacecraft.

At perihelion, Parker Solar Probe will fly through material at about 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit. The spacecraft will be protected from intense solar radiation by its Thermal Protection System, or heat shield. Parker Solar Probe employs a host of autonomous systems to keep the spacecraft safe without guidance from Earth — including automatic retraction of the solar panels to regulate their temperature, attitude control using solar limb sensors that ensures all of the instruments remain in the heat shield's shadow, and a sophisticated guidance and control system that keeps the spacecraft pointed correctly.

For several days around the Nov. 5 perihelion, Parker Solar Probe will be completely out of contact with Earth because of interference from the Sun's overwhelming radio emissions.

Following perihelion, the mission operations team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory will await a beacon tone from the spacecraft, which will let them know the status of Parker Solar Probe.
[свернуть]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjdZU0whkughttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjdZU0whkug (2:53)

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https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/parker-solar-probe-reports-good-status-after-close-solar-approach
ЦитироватьNov. 8, 2018

Parker Solar Probe Reports Good Status After Close Solar Approach

Parker Solar Probe is alive and well after skimming by the Sun at just 15 million miles from our star's surface. This is far closer than any spacecraft has ever gone — the previous record was set by Helios B in 1976 and broken by Parker on Oct. 29 — and this maneuver has exposed the spacecraft to intense heat and solar radiation in a complex solar wind environment.

"Parker Solar Probe was designed to take care of itself and its precious payload during this close approach, with no control from us on Earth — and now we know it succeeded," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency headquarters in Washington. "Parker is the culmination of six decades of scientific progress. Now, we have realized humanity's first close visit to our star, which will have implications not just here on Earth, but for a deeper understanding of our universe."

Mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab received the status beacon from the spacecraft at 4:46 p.m. EST on Nov. 7, 2018. The beacon indicates status "A" — the best of all four possible status signals, meaning that Parker Solar Probe is operating well with all instruments running and collecting science data and, if there were any minor issues, they were resolved autonomously by the spacecraft.
Спойлер

Members of the Parker Solar Probe mission team celebrate on Nov. 7, 2018, after receiving a beacon indicating the spacecraft is in good health following its first perihelion.
Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman

At its closest approach on Nov. 5, called perihelion, Parker Solar Probe reached a top speed of 213,200 miles per hour, setting a new record for spacecraft speed. Along with new records for the closest approach to the Sun, Parker Solar Probe will repeatedly break its own speed record as its orbit draws closer to the star and the spacecraft travels faster and faster at perihelion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjdZU0whkug
On Nov. 5, 2018, Parker Solar Probe achieved its first close approach to the Sun, called perihelion, a maneuver that exposed the spacecraft to intense heat and solar radiation.
Credits: NASA/JHUAPL
Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio

At this distance, the intense sunlight heated the Sun-facing side of Parker Solar Probe's heat shield, called the Thermal Protection System, to about 820 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will climb up to 2,500 F as the spacecraft makes closer approaches to the Sun — but all the while, the spacecraft instruments and systems that are protected by the heat shield are generally kept in the mid-80s F.

Parker Solar Probe's first solar encounter phase began on Oct. 31, and the spacecraft will continue collecting science data through the end of the solar encounter phase on Nov. 11. It will be several weeks after the end of the solar encounter phase before the science data begins downlinking to Earth.

By Sarah Frazier
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
[свернуть]
Last Updated: Nov. 8, 2018
Editor: Rob Garner

tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/11/06/parker-solar-probe-sets-records-during-first-encounter-with-the-sun/
ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe sets records during first encounter with the sun
November 6, 2018 | Stephen Clark

EDITOR'S NOTE: Upd ated Nov. 8 with confirmation of Parker Solar Probe's health after perihelion.


Artist's concept of NASA's Parker Solar Probe. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/Steve Gribben

Less than three months after its fiery departure fr om Cape Canaveral, NASA's Parker Solar Probe flew within 15 million miles (24 million kilometers) of the sun Monday for the $1.5 billion mission's first close-up solar encounter.

Flying in an autonomous mode out of contact with ground controllers, the solar probe was on a trajectory that reached its closest point to the sun at 10:28 p.m. EST Monday (0328 GMT Tuesday), according to NASA.

Parker Solar Probe is circling the sun in an elliptical loop that takes the spacecraft fr om perihelion — the closest point to the sun which it passed Monday — to a distant point between the orbits of Venus and Earth. The spacecraft's perihelion Monday reached a position less than half the distance from the sun as Mercury.
Спойлер
"You're going into an environment that's completely unforgiving," said Andy Driesman, Parker Solar Probe's project manager at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which built and operates the spacecraft. "The temperatures that we are seeing on the spacecraft have not been seen by any other spacecraft ever before. The first perihelion we're going into, we have very minimal contact. All we can get is a tone."

Ground controllers at APL received a good status tone from Parker at 4:46 p.m. EST Wednesday (2146 GMT), confirming the probe survived the first of at least two dozen journeys close to the sun.

"Parker Solar Probe was designed to take care of itself and its precious payload during this close approach, with no control from us on Earth — and now we know it succeeded," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency headquarters in Washington. "Parker is the culmination of six decades of scientific progress. Now, we have realized humanity's first close visit to our star, which will have implications not just here on Earth, but for a deeper understanding of our universe."

The spacecraft launched Aug. 12 from Cape Canaveral aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket, which propelled Parker Solar Probe on a high-speed departure from Earth on the way to Venus. The solar probe flew by Venus on Oct. 3 at a distance of about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers), using the planet's gravity like a brake to slow its velocity enough for the sun to pull the spacecraft closer.

The probe set a record Oct. 29 for the closest approach by a human-made object to the sun, besting a mark se t in April 1976 by the German-American Helios 2 spacecraft at a distance of 26.55 million miles (42.7 million kilometers). On the same day, Parker Solar Probe became the fastest spacecraft relative to the sun, exceeding a heliocentric velocity of 153,454 mph (42.6 miles per second; 68.6 kilometers per second).


This orbit diagram shows Parker Solar Probe's position in the solar system on Nov. 6. Credit: JHUAPL

The spacecraft started its first solar encounter phase Oct. 31, and reached the closest point to the sun in its current orbit late Monday, reaching a top speed relative to the sun of 213,200 mph (59.2 miles per second; 95.3 kilometers per second).

Parker Solar Probe was expected to fly through a region of tenuous material in the sun's outer atmosphere, wh ere temperatures reach 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit (2 million degrees Celsius), according to a statement released by APL.

The spacecraft is armored for the extreme temperatures, carrying a 4.5-inch thick (11.4-centimeter) carbon composite heat shield covered in a white ceramic coating. The thermal barrier measures around 8 feet (nearly 2.5 meters wide) on the sun-facing side of the probe, keeping most of the craft's components — except a few of its sensors and solar arrays — at a little above room temperature.

The outside of the heat shield was expected to reach a temperature of around 820 degrees Fahrenheit (437 degrees Celsius) during Monday's closest approach to the sun, significantly lower than the temperature of the surrounding environment. The low-density particles in Parker Solar Probe's orbit do not transfer much of their heat to the spacecraft, allowing it to survive the conditions similar to the way you can put your hand in a kitchen oven — as long as you don't touch any surfaces.

"We keep the thermal shield between the spacecraft body and the sun," said Betsy Congdon, lead thermal engineer on Parker Solar Probe at APL. "We have designed the spacecraft to be able to do the right thing, no matter what it sees."

Scientists programmed Parker Solar Probe's four instrument suites to directly measure the properties of the material in the solar atmosphere, collecting data closer to the sun than ever before. Parker Solar Probe's objectives include studying the origin of the solar wind, a supersonic flow of particles streaming away from the sun in every direction, which drives space weather and influences the entire solar system.

Named for Eugene Parker, who correctly predicted the existence of the solar wind in 1958, Parker Solar Probe will also investigate why the sun's atmosphere, or corona, is many times hotter than the sun's surface.

Controllers are unable to fully contact Parker Solar Probe for several days around perihelion due to the interference from solar radio emissions, officials said. Only basic status tones will be transmitted from the spacecraft back to Earth to confirm its health.

Parker Solar Probe carries autonomous control software to ensure temperature-sensitive components don't get too hot, using inputs from temperature sensors to gauge wh ere the probe should be pointed, and to keep key parts of the spacecraft in the heat shield's shadow. The probe's solar panels can also be pivoted or turned to stay within thermal limits, all without the intervention of ground controllers.

At the time of Monday's perihelion, Parker Solar Probe was located around 98 million miles (158 million kilometers) from Earth. At that distance, it takes more than 17 minutes for radio signals to make the round-trip journey from the spacecraft to Earth and back.
[свернуть]
The encounter phase ends Nov. 11, and the first science data from Parker Solar Probe's first perihelion will be downlinked to Earth beginning in early December.

Monday's solar encounter was the first of 24 planned during the probe's mission.

Six more Venus flybys will spiral Parker Solar Probe ever-closer to the sun, redirecting the craft's trajectory toward its closest encounter with the sun at a distance of 3.83 million miles (6.16 million kilometers) in 2024, roughly 4 percent the distance of the sun from Earth.

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2018/11/20/parker-solar-probe-reports-first-telemetry-acquisition-of-science-data-since-perihelion/
ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe Reports First Telemetry, Acquisition of Science Data Since Perihelion

Sarah Frazier
Posted Nov 20, 2018 at 11:01 am

On Nov. 16, Parker Solar Probe reported that all systems are operating well in the first detailed performance and health update sent to Earth by the spacecraft since its first solar encounter.

At about 6:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Nov. 16, mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland, received the report from the spacecraft, which also included information about the data collected by the four instrument suites during its first solar encounter. Parker Solar Probe's first solar encounter phase took place Oct. 31 – Nov. 11, culminating in its first close approach to the Sun — called perihelion — on Nov. 6 at just 15 million miles from the Sun's surface, the closest any spacecraft has ever come to our star.

All Parker Solar Probe systems are operating well and as designed. The solid state recorder on the spacecraft indicated that, as planned, the four instrument suites had recorded a significant amount of data, which is scheduled to be downloaded to Earth via the Deep Space Network over several weeks starting Dec. 7. In addition to helping scientists begin to explore fundamental questions about the physics of our star, the data from this initial perihelion — collected closer to the Sun than any before — will help instrument teams calibrate Parker Solar Probe's instruments and plan future observations.
Спойлер
"The team is extremely proud to confirm that we have a healthy spacecraft following perihelion," said APL's Nick Pinkine, mission operations manager for Parker Solar Probe. "This is a big milestone, and we're looking forward to some amazing science data coming down in a few weeks."

During the 11-day solar encounter, the spacecraft executed only one autonomous momentum dump – a procedure in which small thrusters are used to adjust the speed of Parker's reaction wheels. The rate of spin of the wheels is adjusted to maintain the desired orientation of the spacecraft relative to the Sun. Momentum dumps are expected during solar encounters, as the wheels spin up to counter increasing torque from the gravitational effects of the solar environment. Executing only one dump indicates that the spacecraft is well balanced, minimizing the need for these dumps during future solar encounters, which will save propellant.
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Parker Solar Probe's second perihelion will occur on April 4, 2019. During the seven-year mission, the spacecraft will perform a total of 24 perihelia, with the last three bringing the spacecraft to less than 4 million miles from the Sun's surface.

By Geoff Brown

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

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ЦитироватьJohns Hopkins APL‏Подлинная учетная запись @JHUAPL 3 ч. назад

The #ParkerSolarProbe - designed, built and operated by #JHUAPL - holds two operational records for spacecraft, and has had quite a few firsts! The best part? We're just getting started.
#space #sunscience @NASA @NASASun


tnt22

ЦитироватьJohns Hopkins APL‏Подлинная учетная запись @JHUAPL 4 ч. назад

1 down, 23 to go: #ParkerSolarProbe has just completed its first solar orbit! The spacecraft will achieve its 2nd perihelion on April 4, and continue its breakthrough exploration of the solar wind and corona #heliophysics #coolesthottestmission @NASASun

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http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/Show-Article.php?articleID=116
ЦитироватьAll Systems Go As Parker Solar Probe Begins Second Sun Orbit

Posted on 01/22/2019 09:15:00

On Jan. 19, 2019, just 161 days after its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed its first orbit of the Sun, reaching the point in its orbit farthest from our star, called aphelion. The spacecraft has now begun the second of 24 planned orbits, on track for its second perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun, on April 4, 2019.

Parker Solar Probe entered full operational status (known as Phase E) on January 1, with all systems online and operating as designed. The spacecraft has been delivering data from its instruments to Earth via the Deep Space Network, and to date more than 17 gigabits of science data has been downloaded. The full dataset from the first orbit will be downloaded by April.

"It's been an illuminating and fascinating first orbit," said Parker Solar Probe Project Manager Andy Driesman, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. "We've learned a lot about how the spacecraft operates and reacts to the solar environment, and I'm proud to say the team's projections have been very accurate." APL designed, built, and manages the mission for NASA.

"We've always said that we don't know what to expect until we look at the data," said Project Scientist Nour Raouafi, also of APL. "The data we have received hints at many new things that we've not seen before and at potential new discoveries. Parker Solar Probe is delivering on the mission's promise of revealing the mysteries of our Sun."

The Parker Solar Probe team is not only focused on analyzing the science data but also preparing for the second solar encounter, which will take place in about two months.

In preparation for that next encounter, the spacecraft's solid state recorder is being emptied of files that have already been delivered to Earth. In addition, the spacecraft is receiving upd ated positional and navigation information (called ephemeris) and is being loaded with a new automated command sequence, which contains about one month's worth of instructions.

Like the mission's first perihelion in November 2018, Parker Solar Probe's second perihelion in April will bring the spacecraft to a distance of about 15 million miles from the Sun – just over half the previous close solar approach record of about 27 million miles se t by Helios 2 in 1976.

The spacecraft's four instrument suites will help scientists begin to answer outstanding questions about the Sun's fundamental physics — including how particles and solar material are accelerated out into space at such high speeds and why the Sun's atmosphere, the corona, is so much hotter than the surface below.

- Geoff Brown, Johns Hopkins APL


Illustration of Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. 
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

 High-Res Image

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ЦитироватьKarl Battams‏Подлинная учетная запись @SungrazerComets 25 мар.

The @NASASun Parker Solar Probe is now almost at Mercury's orbit, and picking up speed - currently around 58km/s (208,000kph / 130,000mph). Perihelion next week (April 4) at just 0.17AU (~25-million km / 16-million miles)


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https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2019/03/28/parker-solar-probe-approaches-second-solar-encounter/
ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe Approaches Second Solar Encounter

Sarah Frazier
Posted Mar 28, 2019 at 1:00 pm

On March 30, 2019, Parker Solar Probe begins the second solar encounter phase of its mission, culminating in its closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion, on April 4.

During this solar encounter phase, which lasts until April 10, the spacecraft's four suites of science instruments are fully operational and storing science data collected from within the Sun's corona. As designed, Parker Solar Probe will be out of contact with Earth for several days during the solar encounter. This allows the spacecraft to prioritize keeping its heat shield, called the Thermal Protection System, oriented towards the Sun, rather than pointing its transmitter towards Earth. Science data from this second solar encounter phase will downlink to Earth over several weeks later in spring 2019.


Parker Solar Probe begins its second solar encounter phase on March 30, 2019. Track the spacecraft's speed and position online.

Like the mission's first orbit, Parker Solar Probe will reach a perihelion of about 15 million miles from the Sun's surface — meeting its own record for closest-ever approach to the Sun, a little more than half the previous record distance of about 27 million miles set by Helios 2 in 1976. The spacecraft's top speed of about 213,200 miles per hour is also the same as the first solar encounter of the mission. In December 2019, Parker Solar Probe will perform the second of seven Venus gravity assists of its mission, setting up the trajectory that will carry the spacecraft closer to the Sun and to a higher top speed.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

zandr

https://nplus1.ru/news/2019/03/30/PSP-two-flyby
Зонд «Паркер» начал второе тесное сближение с Солнцем

NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben
Солнечный зонд «Паркер» начал второе тесное сближение с Солнцем: 4 апреля он пролетит на минимальном на данный момент расстоянии от звезды (около 24 миллионов километров). Это позволит зонду получить новые данные о солнечном ветре и короне Солнца, сообщается на сайте миссии.
Запуск зонда «Паркер» в космос состоялся 13 августа 2018 года. Цель миссии — измерение основных характеристик солнечного ветра (потока высокоэнергетичных заряженных частиц, непрерывно испускаемых Солнцем) и солнечной атмосферы вдоль своей траектории, а также изучение электромагнитных полей вблизи Солнца и процессов, идущих в его внешних слоях. От сильного нагрева и потоков заряженных частиц и излучения от звезды аппарат защищают система охлаждения и теплозащитный щит, под которым укрываются все научные приборы. По плану процесс сближения со звездой продлится семь лет: с каждой новой орбитой (всего их 24) аппарат будет все ближе подходить к светилу.
В ноябре 2018 года «Паркер» прошел свой первый перигелий, побив рекорд аппарата Helios-B, который подлетал к звезде на 43,5 миллиона километров в 1976 году. 30 марта 2019 года зонд начал новую фазу сближения со звездой в рамках полета по второй научной орбите вокруг Солнца, а 4 апреля должен пролететь на расстоянии около 24 миллионов километров от звезды, двигаясь со скоростью 343 тысячи километров в час. Собирать научные данные зонд будет в полностью автономном режиме. Фаза сближения окончится 10 ноября, после чего начнется передача данных на Землю.

Текущее местоположение аппарата    NASA


Текущее расстояние от аппарата до фотосферы Солнца    NASA
В декабре 2019 года зонд совершит второй гравитационный маневр вблизи Венеры, а самое тесное сближение с Солнцем запланировано на середину декабря 2024 года, когда «Паркер» окажется на расстоянии около 9–10 солнечных радиусов (около шести миллионов километров) от звезды. Это в семь раз ближе, чем перигелий орбиты Меркурия: еще ни один космический аппарат не подбирался настолько близко к Солнцу.
Подробнее о целях этой уникальной миссии и загадках Солнца читайте в нашем материале «Навстречу солнечному ветру».
Александр Войтюк

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ЦитироватьJonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 15:24 PDT - 2 апр. 2019 г.

Parker Solar Probe is screaming (silently) sunward towards its second solar swingby. Currently at 0.18 AU travelling at 90.75 km/s heliocentric; perihelion is 2240 UTC Apr 4 at 0.166 AU, travelling at 95.33 km/s

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2019/04/05/parker-solar-probe-completes-second-close-approach-to-the-sun/
ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe Completes Second Close Approach to the Sun

Sarah Frazier
Posted Apr 5, 2019 at 10:30 am

Parker Solar Probe has successfully completed its second close approach to the Sun, called perihelion, and is now entering the outbound phase of its second solar orbit. At 6:40 p.m. EDT on April 4, 2019, the spacecraft passed within 15 million miles of our star, tying its distance record as the closest spacecraft ever to the Sun; Parker Solar Probe was traveling at 213,200 miles per hour during this perihelion.

The Parker Solar Probe mission team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Maryland scheduled a contact with the spacecraft via the Deep Space Network for four hours around the perihelion and monitored the health of the spacecraft throughout this critical part of the encounter. Parker Solar Probe sent back beacon status "A" throughout its second perihelion, indicating that the spacecraft is operating well and all instruments are collecting science data.

"The spacecraft is performing as designed, and it was great to be able to track it during this entire perihelion," said Nickalaus Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at APL.
"We're looking forward to getting the science data down from this encounter in the coming weeks so the science teams can continue to explore the mysteries of the corona and the Sun."

Parker Solar Probe began this solar encounter on March 30, and it will conclude on April 10. The solar encounter phase is roughly defined as when the spacecraft is within 0.25 AU — or 23,250,000 miles — of the Sun. One AU, or astronomical unit, is about 93 million miles, the average distance from the Sun to Earth.

By Geoff Brown

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

или здесь


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https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2019/08/01/parker-solar-probe-completes-download-of-science-data-from-first-two-solar-encounters/
ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe Completes Download of Science Data from First Two Solar Encounters

Sarah Frazier
Posted Aug 1, 2019 at 11:30 am

As NASA's Parker Solar Probe approaches its third encounter with the Sun, mission scientists are hard at work poring over data from the spacecraft's first two flybys of our star — and thanks to excellent performance by the spacecraft and the mission operations team, they're about to get something extra.

On May 6, 2019, just over a month after Parker Solar Probe completed its second solar encounter, the final transmission of 22 gigabytes of planned science data — collected during the first two encounters — was downlinked by the mission team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Maryland.

This 22 GB is 50% more data than the team had estimated would be downlinked by this point in the mission — all because the spacecraft's telecommunications system is performing better than pre-launch estimates. After characterizing the spacecraft's operations during the commissioning phase, which began soon after launch, the Parker mission team determined that the telecom system could effectively deliver more downlink opportunities, helping the team maximize the download of science data.

The team has capitalized on the higher downlink rate, instructing Parker Solar Probe to record and send back extra science data gathered during its second solar encounter. This additional 25 GB of science data will be downlinked to Earth between July 24 and Aug. 15.


In this image from the Deep Space Network Now site, Parker Solar Probe is shown connecting with a carrier wave to antennas 25 and 55 on Aug. 1, 2019. Parker Solar Probe is identified as SPP by DSN; the mission, formerly Solar Probe Plus, was renamed for solar scientist Eugene Parker in 2017.

"All of the expected science data collected through the first and second encounters is now on the ground," said Nickalaus Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at APL. "As we learned more about operating in this environment and these orbits, the team did a great job of increasing data downloads of the information gathered by the spacecraft's amazing instruments."

There are four instrument suites on Parker, gathering data on particles, waves, and fields related to the Sun's corona and the solar environment. Scientists use this information — gathered closer to the Sun than any previous measurements — along with data from other satellites and scientific models to expand on what we currently know about the Sun and how it behaves. Data collected during the first two perihelia will be made available to the public later this year.

Parker Solar Probe continues on its record-breaking exploration of the Sun with its third solar encounter beginning Aug. 27, 2019; the spacecraft's third perihelion will occur on Sept. 1.

By Geoff Brown

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

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ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe's View of Solar Wind in Nov. 2018

 NASA Video

Опубликовано: 12 авг. 2019 г.

Parker Solar Probe's WISPR instrument saw the solar wind streaming past during the spacecraft's first solar encounter in November 2018.  Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJcB04D95Ychttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJcB04D95Yc (0:06)

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ЦитироватьNASA Parker Solar Probe Update: One Year Later with Eugene Parker

 The University of Chicago

Дата премьеры: 12 авг. 2019 г.

One year after the Parker Solar Probe left Earth forever for a date with the sun, the spacecraft is having a fantastic run. The mission, named after University of Chicago Professor Eugene Parker to honor his decades of work which shaped the field of heliophysics, has already come closer to the sun than any spacecraft ever has—and continues to gradually make its way closer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agYB8E2AHOIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agYB8E2AHOI (4:17)

tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2019/08/16/parker-solar-probe-gets-extra-observation-time/
ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe Gets Extra Observation Time

Sarah Frazier
Posted Aug 16, 2019 at 1:00 pm

After Parker Solar Probe's successful first year in space, the mission team has decided to extend science observations as the spacecraft approaches its third solar encounter.

Parker Solar Probe turned on its four instrument suites on Aug. 16, 2019 — earlier than during its previous two solar encounters, extending the observation period from 11 days to about 35 days.

During the spacecraft's first two solar encounters, the science instruments were turned on when Parker was about 0.25 AU from the Sun and powered off again at the same distance on the outbound side of the orbit. (One AU, or astronomical unit, is about 93 million miles, the average distance between the Sun and Earth.) For this third solar encounter, the mission team turned on the instruments when the spacecraft was around 0.45 AU from the Sun on the inbound side of its orbit and will turn them off when the spacecraft is about 0.5 AU from the Sun on the outbound side.

"We've seen very intriguing phenomena below 0.25 AU, and are confident we will see interesting things all the way out to 0.5 AU," said Nour Raouafi, Parker Solar Probe project scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. "We cannot wait to see how this extended campaign data will compare to our previous data collected during the shorter periods and to the data from previous missions, such as Helios."


This image from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument shows a coronal streamer, seen over the east limb of the Sun on Nov. 8, 2018, at 1:12 a.m. EST. Parker Solar Probe was about 16.9 million miles from the Sun's surface when this image was taken. The bright object near the center of the image is Mercury, and the dark spots are a result of background correction. Credits: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe

The extended observation time before and after Parker Solar Probe's perihelion — its closest approach to the Sun during a given orbit — will let scientists capture the evolution of the solar wind over greater distances as it travels away from the Sun. They also hope the additional data will yield more insight into the energetic particles surrounding the Sun, the corona and the overall solar environment.

The data gathered during this period will start downlinking immediately at the end of the extended campaign. The data from the first two encounters will be released to the public in 2019. Parker Solar Probe's third perihelion will occur on Sept. 1.

By Justyna Surowiec

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

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Цитировать NASA Solar System‏ Подлинная учетная запись @NASASolarSystem 18 ч. назад

Our #ParkerSolarProbe is about to make its third close pass by the Sun. As the spacecraft reaches the closest point, it will be traveling at the astounding speed of about 213,000 mph (343,000 kilometers per hour) relative to the Sun! https://go.nasa.gov/2NoapD2 

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2019/09/03/parker-solar-probe-completes-third-close-approach-of-the-sun/
ЦитироватьParker Solar Probe Completes Third Close Approach of the Sun

Sarah Frazier
Posted Sep 3, 2019 at 10:30 am

At just before 1:50 p.m. EDT on Sept. 1, 2019, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed its third close approach of the Sun, called perihelion. At the time of perihelion, the spacecraft was about 15 million miles from the Sun's surface, traveling at more than 213,200 miles per hour.

Mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, received a green "A" beacon from the spacecraft soon after perihelion, meaning all systems were performing as designed and that the spacecraft was in good health.


Parker Solar Probe achieved its third perihelion, or close approach to the Sun, on Sept. 1, 2019. Track Parker Solar Probe's current speed and position online.

This third encounter, which was at approximately the same distance from the Sun and speed as the first two, differs in that the spacecraft's four instrument suites have been on and gathering data for a longer period than other perihelia.

For this third solar encounter, the mission team turned on the instruments when the spacecraft was around 0.45 astronomical units from the Sun on the inbound side of its orbit. (One astronomical unit, or AU, is about 93 million miles, the average distance between the Sun and Earth.) The instruments will be turned off when Parker Solar Probe is about 0.5 AU from the Sun on the outbound side, which will occur on about Sept. 20. For the prior two perihelia, the instruments were on from 0.25 AU prior to and after completing the close approach.

By Geoff Brown

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2019/11/12/first-parker-solar-probe-science-data-released-to-public/
ЦитироватьFirst Parker Solar Probe Science Data Released to Public

Sarah Frazier
Posted Nov 12, 2019 at 12:08 pm

On Nov. 12, 2019, NASA's Parker Solar Probe team released scientific data collected during the spacecraft's first two solar orbits to the general public.

Data can be accessed through the NASA Space Physics Data Facility, the Solar Data Analysis Center, the APL Parker Solar Probe Gateway, and the Science Operation Centers of the four science investigation teams (the University of California, Berkeley; Princeton University; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; and Naval Research Laboratory.) The newly released data, in the form of data files and graphical displays, is available for interested public users to manipulate, analyze, and plot in any way they choose.


Data from the Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) instrument on board Parker Solar Probe captured during the spacecraft's first solar encounter in November 2018.

The released encounter data encompasses measurements made during the first two solar encounters, spanning the time between Oct. 31 and Nov. 12, 2018, and March 30 and April 19, 2019, when the spacecraft was within 0.25 AU of the Sun, as well as data collected at farther distances. One AU, or astronomical unit, is about 93 million miles, the average distance between the Sun and Earth.

Science teams led by principal investigators from partner institutions have been busy poring over the wealth of information collected by Parker Solar Probe in preparation for the mission's first science results, to be released later this year. The four instrument suites onboard – FIELDS, ISʘIS, SWEAP, and WISPR – have been observing the characteristics of the solar wind (fields, waves, flows, and particles) in the immediate environment surrounding the Sun, called the corona.

"Parker Solar Probe is crossing new frontiers of space exploration, giving us so much new information about the Sun," said Parker Solar Probe Project Scientist Nour E. Raouafi, from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Maryland, which manages the mission for NASA. "Releasing this data to the public will allow them not only to contribute to the success of the mission along with the scientific community, but also to raise the opportunity for new discoveries to the next level."

With three of 24 planned solar orbits under its belt, Parker Solar Probe will continue to get closer to the Sun in the coming years, eventually swooping to within 4 million miles of the Sun's surface, facing heat and radiation like no spacecraft before it. The mission seeks to provide new data on solar activity and how the solar corona works, which contributes significantly to our ability to forecast major space weather events that impact life on Earth. The mission launched in 2018 and is slated to perform its primary science mission until 2025.

By Geoff Brown

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab