SOLAR (ISS)

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SOLAR STS-122 Sun Monitoring on the External Payload Facility of Columbus (Solar).jpg
SOLAR
SOLAR heads into orbit on STS-122 STS-122LaunchHighRes.jpg
SOLAR heads into orbit on STS-122
The STS-122 crew included two ESA astronauts, Leopold Eyharts (fr) and Hans Schlegel (de) STS-122crew.jpg
The STS-122 crew included two ESA astronauts, Léopold Eyharts (fr) and Hans Schlegel (de)

SOLAR [1] was an ESA science observatory on the Columbus Laboratory, which is part of the International Space Station. SOLAR was launched with Columbus in February 2008 aboard STS-122. It was externally mounted to Columbus with the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF). SOLAR has three main space science instruments: SOVIM, SOLSPEC and SOL-ACES. [2] Together they provide detailed measurements of the Sun's spectral irradiance. [3] The SOLAR platform and its instruments are controlled from the Belgian User Support and Operations Centre (B.USOC), located at the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BISA) in Uccle, Belgium.

Contents

Instruments

Mission

The mission was originally planned for a 2003 launch, but was delayed following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.[ citation needed ] Some other components are also planned to be mounted externally on Columbus on future missions, including the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES). Another name for SOLAR may be Solar Monitoring Observatory or SMO.

In 2012, the entire 450-tonne station was rotated so SOLAR could observe a full rotation of the Sun continuously. [6] A Solar rotation takes about 24–28 days depending on the latitude. [7]

SOLAR's mission ended in 2017 with the failure of all but one of its instruments. On the morning of 28 January 2020 SOLAR was removed from FRAM 1 where it rested since it was delivered on STS 122 and strapped to the side of Cygnus NG-12 with the SDS placed on the other side. SOLAR was released from the station on 3 February 2020 and burnt up in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean on 13 March 2020 ending the mission which spent a decade photographing the sun. [8]

Visuals

The Solar Monitoring Observatory is externally mounted on the Columbus Laboratory Columbus extern.jpg
The Solar Monitoring Observatory is externally mounted on the Columbus Laboratory
SOLAR SOLAR ESA.png
SOLAR

See also

References

  1. ↑ "SOLAR: three years observing and ready for solar maximum". European Space Agency. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  2. ↑ "Sun Monitoring on the External Payload Facility of Columbus (Solar)". NASA. 14 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  3. ↑ "Solar Package on ISS". Belgian User Support and Operation Centre. Archived from the original on 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  4. ↑ Manise, Nicolas (22 August 2000). "SOVIM (Solar Variability and Irradiance Monitor)". Belgian International Space Station User Support Center. Retrieved 2007-09-21.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ Wienhold, F.G.; et al. (2000). "The solar package on ISS: SOL-ACES". Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Part C: Solar, Terrestrial & Planetary Science. 25 (5–6): 473–476. Bibcode:2000PCEC...25..473W. doi:10.1016/S1464-1917(00)00060-X.
  6. ↑ Jacobs, Carla; et al. (5–9 May 2014). The ISS “SOLAR” attitude, from a 1-time experimental attitude change request to a standard ISS attitude to advance SOLAR science. SpaceOps 2014 Conference. Pasadena, California. doi:10.2514/6.2014-1666.
  7. ↑ Solar rotation
  8. ↑ Clark, Stephen (3 February 2020). "Cygnus departs space station, deploys CubeSats". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
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