Despite the poor fiscal state that much of the Western world is in, this setback doesn’t mean man’s aspirations to travel beyond our planet have gone away. The European Space Agency has announced two of its most ambitious missions to date that will broaden our collective knowledge about the universe. The initiators of these grand endeavors are pictured below.
The missions, whose time frame for launch and operations is from 2015 to 2025 under the Cosmic Vision Plan, involve two unmanned spacecraft. These are Euclid (named after the mathematician) and Solar Orbiter, whose handle doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
Euclid: Unveiling the Mysteries of Dark Matter
Between the two, it’s Euclid that has so much more responsibility on its shoulders. Already scheduled for a 2019 launch at French Guiana, Euclid is going to travel far and wide for a groundbreaking study of that ever-elusive dark matter. A veritable galaxy observer, Euclid’s turf is going to span billions of light years. The ultimate goal is to help us explain why the universe is the way it is.
Euclid’s mission is to map the geometry of the dark universe with unprecedented accuracy. By observing billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away, Euclid will provide data that will help scientists understand the nature of dark energy and dark matter, which together make up 95% of the universe. This mission is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the universe’s expansion and the role dark matter plays in the formation of cosmic structures.
Solar Orbiter: Probing the Sun’s Secrets
Then there’s Solar Orbiter, the only spacecraft capable of operating so close to the sun without damaging itself. Its mission is gathering data that will help explain the sun’s environment. Scheduled for a launch in 2018, Solar Orbiter will travel within 42 million kilometers of the Sun, closer than any previous mission. This proximity will allow it to capture high-resolution images and gather detailed measurements of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and solar wind.
Solar Orbiter’s unique orbit will enable it to study the Sun’s poles for the first time, providing new insights into the solar cycle and the generation of the Sun’s magnetic field. This information is crucial for understanding space weather, which can have significant impacts on Earth’s technology and climate. By studying the Sun’s behavior, Solar Orbiter aims to improve our ability to predict solar storms and mitigate their effects on our planet.
These missions represent a significant leap forward in our quest to understand the universe. Euclid and Solar Orbiter are not just technological marvels; they are symbols of human curiosity and our relentless pursuit of knowledge. Despite economic challenges, the European Space Agency’s commitment to these missions underscores the importance of space exploration in advancing science and benefiting humanity.
Source Gizmag
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