As a bonus, Solar Probe’s unique path close to the Sun will answer some questions about the size and mass distribution of mysterious dust grains orbiting near the Sun. This dust, believed to originate from comets and asteroids, interacts with the corona and may influence the solar wind and the formation of energetic particles.
Finally, even though Solar Probe will go where humans cannot, what scientists learn from the mission will play an important role in piloted missions to the Moon and Mars. On these expeditions (well beyond the protective shield of Earth’s magnetic field), astronauts may be exposed to intense blasts of the Sun’s energetic particles. Such events present serious threats to humans living and working beyond Earth.
Solar Probe will make the first direct measurements of the near-Sun region, sample the environment where solar plasma particles are energized, and identify the seed populations for these dangerous particles. The spacecraft also will provide critical data for predictive models that — along with solar and heliospheric monitoring — will enable scientists to forecast the spaceradiation environment in support of human exploration.
Solar Probe’s visit to a never-beforeexplored region of our solar system will answer questions that simply can’t be answered any other way. The answers will help space scientists understand what’s going on in a region that has awed and frightened humans since we first witnessed the Sun’s beautiful and mysterious corona during a total eclipse.
Moreover, as with any voyage into uncharted territory, Solar Probe’s journey also holds the promise of unanticipated discoveries — new mysteries that will challenge humanity’s ever-expanding knowledge of our home in the universe.