STEREO

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This article documents a current spaceflight.
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For other uses, see Stereo (disambiguation).
STEREO

One STEREO spacecraft
Organization: NASA
Major Contractors: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Mission type: Solar Terrestrial Probes
Satellite of: Sun
Launch Date: October 26, 2006
00:52 GMT
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7925
Mission Duration: 2 years minimum
Webpage: http://stereo.jhuapl.edu/
Mass: approximately 1142 pounds (642 kg) each
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STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a solar observation mission which was launched on 26 October 2006 at 00:52 GMT.[1] Two identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to (respectively) pull further ahead and fall gradually behind the earth. This will enable stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as Coronal Mass Ejections.

Contents

[edit] Mission profile

Launch of the STEREO spacecraft atop a Delta II (7925-10L) rocket, 00:52 GMT on 26 October 2006
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Launch of the STEREO spacecraft atop a Delta II (7925-10L) rocket, 00:52 GMT on 26 October 2006

On November 9, 2005 both spacecraft were shipped from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to Goddard Space Flight Center, in preparation for launch[2]. As of May 3, 2006, the twin spacecraft were undergoing final pre-launch tests and preparations at the Astrotech Spacecraft Processing Facility in Florida. The Delta II rocket destined to carry the STEREO spacecraft into orbit was being assembled at Launch Complex 17. The STEREO spacecraft were scheduled to be mated to the Delta II on July 10, 2006.[3] [4]

They were launched into a highly elliptical geocentric orbits in late 2006, with an apogee at approximately the distance of the Moon. Two months afterwards (on the fifth orbit) the pair swing by the moon for a gravitational slingshot. This slingshot will maneuver the behind spacecraft (designated "B") to a heliocentric orbit outside Earth's orbit. The ahead spacecraft ("A") will encounter the moon again on the same orbital revolution, placing it into a heliocentric orbit inside the Earth's. Spacecraft A will take 347 days to complete one revolution of the sun, with Spacecraft B taking 387 days. They will retreat from the earth by about 22° per earth year.

[edit] Instrumentation

Each of the spacecraft carry cameras, particle experiments and radio detectors in four instrument packages:

  • Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) - SECCHI has five cameras: an extreme ultraviolet imager and two white-light coronagraphs (collectively known as the Sun Centered Instrument Package or SCIP), which image the solar disk and the inner and outer corona, plus two heliospheric imagers (called the HI), which image the space between Sun and Earth. The purpose of SECCHI is to study the 3-D evolution of Coronal Mass Ejections through their full journey from the Sun's surface through the corona and interplanetary medium to their impact at Earth.[5] [6]
  • In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients (IMPACT) - IMPACT will study energy particles and magnetic fields of the Sun.[5] [7]
  • PLAsma and SupraThermal Ion Composition (PLASTIC) - PLASTIC will study the plasma characteristics of protons, alpha particles and heavy ions.[5]
  • STEREO/WAVES (SWAVES) - SWAVES is a radio burst tracker that will study radio disturbances traveling from the Sun to the orbit of Earth.[5]
  • Attitude determination - Each STEREO spacecraft has a primary and backup Miniature Inertial Measurement Unit (MIMU), provided by Honeywell, which measure changes to the spacecraft attitude[8]. Each MIMU is equipped with three ring-laser gyroscopes to detect angular changes.

[edit] See also

The STEREO Space Probes in a Goddard Center Cleanroom
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The STEREO Space Probes in a Goddard Center Cleanroom

[edit] References

  1. ^ NASA Launch Schedule. NASA Missions (September 20, 2006). Retrieved on September 20, 2006.
  2. ^ STEREO Mission Status (November 2005). Retrieved on May 30, 2006.
  3. ^ STEREO Mission Status (May 2006). Retrieved on May 30, 2006.
  4. ^ Kaiser M. L. (2005). "The STEREO mission: an overview". Solar Encounter, Solar-B and Stereo Advances in Space Research 36 (8): 1483-1488.
  5. ^ a b c d STEREO Spacecraft & Instruments. NASA Missions (March 8, 2006). Retrieved on May 30, 2006.
  6. ^ Howard R. A., Moses J. D., Socker D. G., Dere K. P., Cook J. W. (2002). "Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI)". Solar Variabilit and Solar Physics Missions Advances in Space Research 29 (12): 2017-2026.
  7. ^ Luhmann J. G., Curtis D. W., Lin R. P., Larson D, Schroeder P., Cummings A., Mewaldt R. A., Stone E. C., Davis A., von Rosenvinge T., Acuna M. H., Rearnes D., Ng C., Ogilvie K., Mueller-Mellin R., Kunow H., Mason G. M., Wiedenbeck M., Sauvaud A., Aoustin C., Louarn P., Dandouras J., Korth A., Bothmer V., Vasyliunas V., Sanderson T., Marsden R. G., Russell C. T., Gosling J. T., Bougeret J. L., McComas D. J., Linker J. A., Riley P., Odstrcil D., Pizzo V. J., Gombosi T., DeZeeuw D., Gombosi T., DeZeeuw D., Kecskemety K. (2005). "IMPACT: Science goals and firsts with STEREO". Solar Encounter, Solar-B and Stereo Advances in Space Research 36 (8): 1534-1543.
  8. ^ Honeywell To Provide Miniature Inertial Measurement Units For STEREO Spacecraft. Web. Honeywell International, Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-10-25.

[edit] External links

Sun Spacecraft Missions
v • d • e
Orbiters: Pioneer 6, 7, 8 and 9 | Helios probes | Ulysses probe | Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) | Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager | Hinode | STEREO | TRACE | ACE
Sample return: Genesis (spacecraft)
Future: Solar Dynamics Observatory | Solar Orbiter
See also: Sun | Exploration of the Sun
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