The SOHO Project :: essays research papers

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory or SOHO for absolutely is a cooperative joint effort by the European pose Agency (ESA) and the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The main boot of this project is to study the internal structure of the lie, its extensive upper atmosphere, as well as to determine the origin and characteristics of the solar wind.The SOHO ballistic capsule was launched on December 2, 1995 where then it was directed to go about 930,000 miles sunward from the Earth to the L1 or the Lagrangian point. This Lagrangian point is a place between the Sun and the Earth where the soberness pulls of both masses stabilize the ballistic capsule enough to achieve a state of gravitational equilibrium between the two masses. At this point, the ballistic capsule then established its own halo-like orbit in space yet continued to also orbit about the Sun in the equivalent orbital path as the Earth. Once SOHOs halo-like orbit was established, the spacec raft was then ready to open its payload bay doors and begin its investigate of the Sun with its wide array of scientific instruments.All instruments aboard the SOHO spacecraft fall under one of the following headings based on what demesne of the Sun it is suppose to observe and measure the solar interior, the solar atmosphere, or the solar wind. The solar interior instruments such as GOLF (Global Oscillations at Low Frequencies) and VIRGO (Variability of Solar Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations) both perform oscillation measurements of the unspoilt solar disk which obtains information concerning the solar nucleus. In addition, the instruments that measure the solar atmosphere such as the CDS (Coronal Diagnostics Spectrometer) and UVCS (Ultraviolet Coronograph Spectrometer) observe both the home(a) and outer corona. They obtain measurements of temperature, density, slice, and velocity in the corona with high resolution. Finally, the instruments that fail and measure the solar wind include ERNE (Energetic and Relativistic Nuclei and negatron experiment) and CELIAS (Charge, Element, and Isotope Analysis System) which measure the charge state and isotopic composition of ions in the solar wind. These two instruments also determine the charge and isotopic composition of energetic particles generated by the Sun.The sensitive instruments aboard the SOHO spacecraft have already helped scientists here on Earth discover and explain some of the mysteries of the Sun as well as to confirm some of their theories they previously held. For example, in May of 1998 with the help of the Michelson Doppler Interferometer scientists were able to see with greater clarity the titan convective cells inside and on the surface of the Sun.