Here comes Solar Probe! Original Research Article

Despite recent advances, fundamental questions remain about the nature of the solar corona and the solar wind: 1) What heats the corona and accelerates the solar wind? 2) Where do the different types of solar wind originate? 3) Where and how are energetic particles produced and transported near the Sun? 4) What role do plasma turbulence and waves play in the corona and solar wind production? 5) What is the nature of the magnetic field and photospheric structures near the solar poles? Flying a trajectory perpendicular to the Earth-Sun line during its perihelion passage, Solar Probe will use in-situ and imaging instruments to provide the first three dimensional viewing of the corona, direct observations of solar polar regions, and local sampling of the solar environment. These primary observations are complemented by context-setting measurements and Earth-based observations. Solar Probe is currently scheduled for launch in February 2007 as the third in the new Outer Planets/Solar Probe mission line of NASA and will arrive at the Sun in 2010 under solar maximum conditions with a second closest approach near solar minimum in 2015.