Next solar probe gets its important heat shield

NASA / APL Johns Hopkins / Ed Whitman [19659009] The Parker will depend on his TPS to prevent him from getting roasted. Eight feet in diameter, it will keep everything under its shadow, the darkest part of a shade, at a safe temperature. When the Parker enters the sun's crown, the temperature of the heat shield reaches 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Under the ombra, however, things will stay around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the perfect time of the beach.

Perhaps the most surprising element of the GST is its weight. The shield that will protect a space probe from the assault of the sun's heat weighs only 160 pounds. This weight comes from the design and frontal encounter: the Parker needs all the speed necessary to reach the orbit. Composed of two panels of carbon-carbon composite superheated on each side of a light core of carbon foam 4.5 inches thick, this core is composed of 97% air.

This attachment of the TPS is a kind of meeting. The shield was first attached to the Parker test in 2017, but this time it is different. It's permanent, the first time the Parker was fully integrated before its launch in August.

The Parker has all sorts of tricks to avoid overheating, solar panels that will not crack under the temperatures up to the pressurized water. He will probably need all.

Source: NASA