Solar Probe (IMAGE)

Johns Hopkins University

Solar Probe

Caption

Artist's concept of NASA's Solar Probe spacecraft making its pass toward the sun, where it will study the forces that create solar wind. Preliminary designs include a 9-foot-diameter, 6-inch-thick, carbon-foam-filled solar shield atop the spacecraft body, and two sets of solar arrays that would retract or extend as the spacecraft swings toward or away from the sun -- making sure the panels stay at proper temperatures and power levels.

Credit

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

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