Parker Solar Probe, Take the Solar Plunge Options

[Juramike]

Or how about ice crystals?

Could the probe squirt out a little water in front that would make a series of temporary shields of ice crystals? Could you design the atomizing device so that it would preferentially form ice crystals in the vacuum of space with maximum reflectivity? As it breaks down, would it also do decent job of absorbing heat?

(And water is relatively light to carry.)

So we'd be making an artificial comet!


(Really wildly speculating out there)

[jamescanvin]

I notice from reading this months BIS magazine (thanks for the free copy Phil ) that the Australians are now also proposing a solar probe like mission to get to within 3-4 solar radii. No clues as to how they intend to do it though.

ABC article

[Juramike]

the Australians are now also proposing a solar probe like mission to get to within 3-4 solar radii. No clues as to how they intend to do it though.

Maybe they'll go at night?

[robspace54]

I understand that Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) has been studying the solar probe mission. The usual debates about mission capability, payload, and cost continue to swirl.

My source says that the various factions continue to not play nicely (scientists, NASA headquarters, Goddard, contractors) all of which wastes time, money and effort.

There was a Dilbert cartoon once (or perhaps a spoof) where the pointy-haired manager tells Dilbert that the spaceprobe weighs too much so he should delete the science instruments...

R.

[djellison]

Yeah - that was my series of (probably very illegal) 'spacebert' modifications to dilbert cartoons usually talking about Beagle 2

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[Paolo]

I have just received the author's copies of the March issue of the JBIS, with my article on the history of two 1970s European deep space missions, including the first close perihelion Sun probe study

[mps]

NASA Calls on APL to Send a Probe to the Sun

It seems they plan to use deployable solar arrays (however, the mission home page still states that there will be MMRTGs)

[RZero]

Nasa Plans to go to the Sun

Seems its becoming a reality.

[mps]

More detailed technical information here:
Solar Probe+ Mission Engineering Study Report

[Drkskywxlt]

Solar Probe Plus has been given the green light to move into Phase A. Basically, it's a real mission now. Launch is scheduled for 2018 currently, but that's due to budgetary restrictions, not technical ones. According to the APL managers, this mission could go 2-3 years earlier if additional funding was provided.

http://solarprobe.jhuapl.edu/
The launch date on this website is incorrect.

[Drkskywxlt]

It seems that the ESA Solar Orbiter mission (if selected) would compliment Solar Probe+, and possibly even launch on the same vehicle. ESA's mission won't get as close to the Sun, but having two spacecraft at different radii would allow some synergistic science.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Cool


We can never have too many solar missions

[punkboi]

A new article on Solar Probe Plus... 5 science instruments have been selected for the mission

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/scien...2010/02sep_spp/

So will NASA or The Planetary Society have a "Send Your Name to the Sun" campaign before the launch in 2018?

[stevesliva]

Actually only four instruments mentioned, but radio science isn't mentioned, so that might as well be a 5th.

[scalbers]

What is the highest level of albedo that's been achieved with metals on Earth? If a shield had 100% reflectivity (impossible I know but theoretically), would that solve all heating problems, or does the albedo vary for different types of electromagnetic radiation?

At least in visible light silver is pretty high (somewhere above 90%). Dielectric coatings can use interference to make reflectivity even higher. More info here on reflectivity of coatings:

http://www.optosigma.com/miva/merchant.mv?...ection+Coatings

What is being used on the shield in the solar probe design?