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This summer, NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) probe on its journey to the Sun, deeper into the Sun 's atmosphere than any previous mission. If we imagine the distance between the Earth and the Sun as a meter long rod, PSP would be eleven centimeters away from the surface of the Sun.
In this part of the solar atmosphere called the crown, the PSP will perform unprecedented observations of forces that emit energy, heat and particles to the solar system and far beyond from the orbit of Neptune.
In the crown, of course, unimaginably hot. The probe flies through a substance with a temperature above 500 000 ° C and a high intensity light.
And why then the probe does not dissipate?
The Parker Solar Probe probe is designed to withstand extreme mission conditions and temperature fluctuations. The most important protection is provided by a specially designed heat shield and an autonomous system that protects the mission from intense sunlight, but allows the crown material to touch the probe.
Why the probe does not dissolve
To understand why the probe and its instruments do not dissipate instantly, we must understand the notions of heat and temperature and their differences. High temperatures do not necessarily mean the warming of another object.
Temperatures in the cosmos can reach thousands of degrees, though objects can not, at least, become more intense. How can this be? Temperature is the measure of particle velocity, while heat indicates the amount of energy that they transmit. The particles can work very quickly (high temperature), but if the particles are very small, they do not transmit much energy (low heat). Since the space is essentially empty, the probe transfers very few particles.
For example, the temperature of the crown during which the PSP pbades is extremely high, but the density of the material contained therein is extremely low. Compare inserting the hand into the oven and inserting into a pot of boiling water (do not try it at home!) – you'll keep your hand baked a lot longer and at a much higher temperature than in water. Thus, the sun's crown is much rarer compared to the surface, so the probe runs fewer hot particles and receives less heat.
Therefore, even if the PSP will fly in space at a temperature of several million degrees, the heat shield returned to the Sun will only reach ~ 1400 ° C.
Shield That Protects It
Of course, it would also take a thousand and a half degrees of temperature to name the snow in the summer. (For comparison, the volcano triggers a lava of 700-1200 ° C. This heat, the PSP is protected by a thermal shield – a thermal protection system (TPS) 2.4 m in diameter and 115 mm d & Thickness that maintains a comfortable temperature of 30 ° C on the other side of the panel).
TPS was developed at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and was developed by Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies, using carbon composite foam between two carbon plates. This light insulation on the side facing the sun is covered with white ceramic paints, to reflect more warmth. Tested at 1650 ° C, the TPS will increase the heat transmitted by the sun and will protect virtually all instruments.
Windmill
But not all Solar Parker Probe instruments are hiding behind TPS.
The Solar Probe Cup SPS heat shield will be one of two instruments with a dangerous shield. This instrument is what is called a Faraday ship, a sensor to determine the strength and direction of ions and electrons in a solar wind. Because the solar atmosphere is extremely high, it was necessary to create unique technologies that would ensure the survival of electronics, not only the instrument, but also accurate data.
The container itself is made of alloys of titanium, zirconium and molybdenum (melt temperature 2349 ° C). The Solar Probe Cup pellets are made of tungsten, the metal having the highest melting point (3422 ° C). Typically, in such chips, gate lines are burned in lasers – but because of high melting temperatures, they should have been acidified in this case.
Another challenge was electrical wiring – most of the heat melted. The team solved this problem by making bundles of cables with sapphire crystal tubes and the niobium wire itself.
In order to test the resistance of the instrument, the researchers had to replicate the heat of the sun in the laboratory. To do this, they used a particle accelerator and specially designed for high temperature IMAX projectors. The projectors repeated the heat of the sun, and the particle accelerator pulled the radiation from the ship to make sure the device captures the particles precisely even under such conditions. And it is quite clear that the Solar Probe Cup will withstand an environment as hostile as Odeillo Solar Furnace, where 10,000 custom mirrors are concentrated at one point
The Solar Probe Cup has been tested and tested for the longest time possible. environment, the results are clearer. "We believe that the radiation has eliminated all potential pollutants," said the SWEAP instrument at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Researcher Justin Casper. "Essentially, he's purified."
Cool Cooling Probe
From heat to PSP security and some more technologies. Energy-efficient photovoltaic panels can overheat without protection. The elements of the solar array are shifted to the shadow of the heat shield so that the intense light from the sun illuminates only a small segment.
However, if near the sun, more protection is needed. The cooling system of the elements is incredibly simple: a heated capacity to protect the freezer against freezing during the flight, two radiators, aluminum panels for a larger cooling surface and a circulation pump. The cooling capacity of the cooling system would be sufficient for a medium sized salon, and it would maintain the operating temperature of the device and instruments in the solar heat.
The cooling system will be 3.7 liters of deionized water. Although full of chemical refrigeration can be very low compared to water and operate at a temperature between 10 ° C and 125 ° C. To prevent water from boiling, there will be a pressure in the system that will produce a boiling point above 125 ° C.
Another security problem is communication with the probe. The biggest part of the trip is the PSP which will have to think for itself – the probe's signal will last more than 15 minutes, so if something goes wrong, it may be too late to fix a bug
. Sun Path Several sides of the smartphone's size sensors are attached to the probe along the shadow of the heat shield. Anyone who has recorded sunlight notifies the central computer and the sensor can adjust its position so that the sensors and other instruments remain safe. All this must be done without human intervention, so the central computer software has been programmed and carefully checked to make any necessary adjustments on the flight.
Link to the sun
After launch, the PSP will detect the sun's position, move the heat shield, and continue the trip for three months, protecting the heat from the sun and the space vacuum.
During the seven years of the mission, the probe of our star revolves around 24 times. Whenever he approaches, he takes samples of the solar wind, studies the sun's crown and presents the images of our star close to him – all the time that he will be able to keep his cold mind alive with various technologies. innovative.
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