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NASA's first solar probe pbaded a milestone on June 27 with the installation of a state-of-the-art heat shield on its spacecraft. The solar heat shield of the Parker solar sensor, called the thermal protection system, is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and will protect the spacecraft as it will fly directly into the sun's atmosphere.
Parker Solar Probe's planned launch in August 2018 across the sun's crown, a region where no spaceship has gone before. The spacecraft will fly in the atmosphere of the Sun nearly 4 million miles from its surface and make critical observations that will answer old questions about the inner workings of our nearest star. The main objective of the mission is to track changes in the solar corona or the sun's external atmosphere and determine what accelerates the solar winds. The data obtained will improve our understanding of the spatial weather phenomena that affect life on Earth.
Closer to the Sun's atmosphere, the spacecraft will experience intense heat and solar radiation. The temperature outside the spacecraft would reach nearly 2,500 F, which could be a hazard to the instruments aboard the spacecraft. With the help of its revolutionary heat shield, the spacecraft and its equipment will be kept at a relatively comfortable temperature of about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
The heat shield is made of a 4.5 inch thick carbon foam core and is also sprayed with a specially formulated white liner that is able to reflect the effect of heat. Sun energy away from the spacecraft. The heat shield is lightweight and weighs only 160 lbs. As the Parker Solar Probe travels so fast, at around 430,000 km / h, the shielding must be light to achieve the desired results.
The thermal protection system was attached to the spacecraft during the test at Johns Hopkins Laboratory that was on a temporary basis. Now the shield has become a permanent part of the spacecraft. The spacecraft is currently being prepared in Florida prior to its historic launch in the sun.
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