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Prior to its launch in August, NASA's Parker Solar Probe – aiming to get the closest ever to the sun – has its "revolutionary" thermal shield permanently attached to the spacecraft, the US space agency has said. help the spacecraft stay safe as it collects data about the inner workings of the corona.
The shield, with a diameter of 2.4 meters, protects the instruments in its shadow, the shadow that it projects onto the spacecraft, says NASA. At the closest approach to the Parker Solar Probe, temperatures on the heat shield will reach nearly 1,371 degrees Celsius, but the spacecraft and its instruments will be maintained at a temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius.
superheated carbon composite panels sandwiching a core of lightweight carbon foam 11.5 cm thick.
The sun-shielded side is also covered with a white coating specially formulated to reflect most of the solar energy because the Parker Solar Probe moves very fast – 6.92,018 km per hour at its closest approach to the Sun, the shield and the spacecraft must be light to reach the orbit.
only about 72.5 kg because its foam core is 97% air.
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