Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Parker Solar Probe
Why in the News?
The Parker Solar Probe has reached 6.1 million km from the Sun’s surface — the closest any human-made object has ever been. At this distance, if the Earth and Sun were 1 meter apart, the probe would be 4 cm from the Sun.
What is the Parker Solar Probe?
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Details |
| About |
- A NASA mission launched on August 12, 2018, as part of the “Living With a Star” program to study the Sun’s corona and solar winds.
- Named after Eugene Parker, the first NASA mission named after a living researcher.
- Size: Comparable to a small car.
- Instruments: Equipped with four instruments to study electric and magnetic fields, plasma, and high-energy particles.
- Completed 21 orbits around the Sun and uses Venus flybys to gradually get closer to the Sun.
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| How did it manage to come so close to the Sun? |
On December 24, 2024, it reached 6.1 million km from the Sun’s surface, the closest any human-made object has been.
Technologies:
- Heat Shield: A 4.5-inch carbon-composite shield withstands temperatures up to 1,377°C while keeping instruments stable at 29.4°C.
- Venus Flybys: Gravitational assists from Venus gradually reduced the orbit.
- Speed: Travels at 6,92,000 km/h, making it the fastest human-made object.
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| Significance of the Mission |
- Scientific Contributions: Provides insights into why the Sun’s corona is much hotter than its surface and the origins of solar winds.
- Practical Implications: Improves predictions of space weather events that affect satellites, power grids, and communications on Earth.
- Technological Feat: Demonstrates advanced spacecraft engineering to withstand extreme solar conditions.
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PYQ:
[2010] In the context of space technology, what is “Bhuvan”, recently in the news?
(a) A mini satellite launched by ISRO for promoting the distance education in India
(b) The name given to the next Moon Impact Probe, for Chandrayaan-II
(c) A geoportal of ISRO with 3D imaging capabilities of India
(d) A space telescope developed by India |
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