Countdown to the space mission 'Solar Orbiter'

Around five years ago, a team led by a physicist from Kiel University, Professor Robert Wimmer-Schweingruber, won the coveted tender for providing instruments to be placed on board the "Solar Orbiter" space probe. This joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the US space agency NASA is expected to launch in October 2018, and will go closer to the sun than has ever been done before. Now, exactly on schedule, the preparations in Kiel for this mission are entering their final phase. On Monday 21 November the flight instruments from Kiel were handed over to the space probe installation team in England.

Instruments on board a space probe must be able to withstand large temperature variations, intense vibrations during the launch of the rocket or voltage surges, without their functionality being affected. In order to ensure this, scientists at the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics subjected their instruments to extensive tests. Representatives of ESA assessed the results just over two weeks ago, and after a few subsequent improvements, finally certified the solar particle sensors from Kiel for use in space. "Our sensors have passed the tests with flying colours!" said a delighted Wimmer-Schweingruber. "The instruments have been approved. On Monday, our team will personally deliver them to England. It is especially thanks to our excellent team that we have successfully met the tight deadline!"

A total of four instruments will be installed in the "Energetic Particle Detector" (EPD) on board the space probe. The sensors measure electrons, protons and ions of all the particles in space, from helium nuclei right through to iron nuclei. They must cover a particularly wide energy range, from approximately 2 kiloelectronvolts up to 200 megaelectronvolts. The results of these measurements will help to better understand sun particle radiation and its effect on the earth.

Provided by Kiel University