Solar Probe Plus
Solar Probe+, (pronounced Solar Probe Plus), is a proposed NASA spacecraft scheduled to launch in 2015, that will enter the Sun's corona to gather information about the star's magnetic field and solar wind.
Fast Facts
- Planned launch: 2015
- Length of mission: Seven years
- Manufacturer: Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
- Will enter Sun's corona
- Closest approach: 7 million km1
- Expected temperatures: 1400 degrees Celsius1
- Projected cost: $750 million2
- Weight: 1,000 pounds2
- Shield diameter: Nine feet2
Spacecraft Design
The craft is slated to be operational for seven years, during which time it should experience several different solar events, such as flares and storms. The probe would weigh approximately 1,000 pounds and be protected by a nine-foot in diameter, six-inch thick solar shield. Engineers expect that the craft will have to endure solar intensities 500 times what one would experience on Earth.2
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