Solar Orbiter launches on mission to reveal Sun’s secrets

Solar Orbiter launches on mission to reveal Sun’s secrets

The US-European Solar Orbiter probe launched Sunday night from Florida on a voyage to deepen our understanding of the Sun and how it shapes the space weather that impacts technology back on Earth.. Drawing on gravity assists from Earth and Venus, Solar Orbiter will slingshot itself into a bird's eye view of the Sun's poles, reaching its primary science orbit in two years' time.. All but one of the spacecraft's telescopes will peep out through holes in the heat shield that open and close in a carefully orchestrated dance, while other instruments will work behind the shadow of the shield.. Solar Orbiter will observe the surface as it explodes and record measurements as the material goes by the spacecraft.. "You can't really get much closer than Solar Orbiter is going and still look at the Sun," ESA's Muller said.. Solar Orbiter will use three gravity assists to draw its orbit closer to the Sun: two past Venus in December 2020 and August 2021, and one past Earth in November 2021, leading up to its first close pass by the Sun in 2022.. The New York Times invites tourists to visit Egypt in 2020, highlights Grand Egyptian Museum.