NASA picked two new missions to examine the brightest star in our solar system only a day after announcing the latest data made by the Parker Solar probe on its approach to the Sun.
The Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) and HelioSwarm missions will aid in the understanding of the Sun's dynamics, the Sun-Earth link, and the ever-changing space environment.
The two new missions have been termed crucial because they will collect additional data before future crewed flights to the Moon and ultimately to Mars. Scientists will learn more about our cosmos and provide vital information for safeguarding astronauts, satellites, and communications signals like GPS.
A mid-level solar flare that peaked at 8:13 p.m. EDT on Oct. 1, 2015, was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
NASA Adds Two Solar Missions: MUSE, HelioSwarm to Help Experts Understand Sun
NASA has selected two research missions, the MUSE and HelioSwarm, to aid scientists in better understanding the Sun's dynamics, the Sun-Earth interaction, and the constantly changing space environment.
According to Satellite Prome, these missions will offer people better knowledge of the cosmos and crucial information that will assist in the security of astronauts, satellites, and GPS communications.
Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement that MUSE and HelioSwarm would deliver a new and deeper understanding of the solar environment and space weather.
The science of our earlier heliophysics missions has not only been expanded, but they have also provided a fresh perspective and approach for understanding the mysteries of our star.
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About MUSE
Scientists will utilize the MUSE mission to learn more about the mechanisms that drive the Sun's corona to heat up and the eruptions that occur there, which are at the core of space weather.
The project will give a better understanding of the mechanics of the solar environment by using a multi-slit spectrometer to detect the Sun's harsh ultraviolet radiation and acquire the highest quality images of the solar transition area and corona ever taken.
The Extreme UltraViolet Spectroscopic Telescope and ground-based observatories will provide complimentary observations from heliophysics investigations.
Nicola Fox, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division, said per Phys.org that MUSE would help experts fill essential information gaps related to the Sun-Earth relationship. By giving new information on space weather and complementing a host of other heliophysics studies.
The lead investigator is Bart DePontieu of the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center (LMATC) in Palo Alto, California. This mission will cost $192 million.
About HelioSwarm
HelioSwarm comprises a single hub spacecraft and eight small satellites that orbit opposite hub directions. The hub spacecraft and the NASA Deep Space Network of spacecraft communication antennas will handle all radio communications between the swarm and Earth.
Peg Luce, deputy head of the Heliophysics Division, said per Republic World that the technical innovation of HelioSwarm's small satellites working together as a constellation provides a once-in-a-lifetime chance to investigate turbulence and its evolution in the solar wind.
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