Van Allen Probes

Van Allen Probes

Country:	United States United States
Operator:	NASA
COSPAR-ID :	2012-046A , 2012-046B
Mission dates
Dimensions:	Probe A: 648 kg. Probe B: 667 kg
Begin:	August 30, 2012, 08:05 UTC
Starting place:	Space Launch Complex 41 , Cape Canaveral
Launcher:	Atlas V (401)
Flight duration:	7 years
Status:	switched off
Orbit data
Orbit inclination :	10 °

The Van Allen Probes , formerly Radiation Belt Storm Probes ( RBSP , radiation belts Storm probes) are two inactive space probes of NASA to investigate the Van Allen radiation belt surrounding the earth. The mission was part of NASA's "Living With a Star" program. The results of the probes should contribute to the understanding of the environment and the variability of the radiation belt. This is very important for the operation and design of space missions, mission planning and the safety of space travelers.

General

Play media file

Overview of a Van Allen sample.

Structure of the probes

The Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for the Living With a Star program, which Van Allen Probes was part of with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University was responsible for all implementation and device management. The primary mission was scheduled to last for 2 years, with a possible extension of up to 4 years. The probes were designed to work with the Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL), which measured the particles that came from the radiation belt to Earth.

Milestones

Completion of the concept of the mission, January 30, 2007
Confirmation of the preliminary draft, October 2008
Confirmation of the final draft, January 2009
Transport of the probes from the APL in Laurel , Maryland to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida , April 30, 2012
Start the Atlas V 401 launch vehicle on August 30, 2012 at 8:05 UTC from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 .
Renaming of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes to Van Allen Probes on November 9, 2012.
End of the probe B mission on July 19, 2019
End of the probe A mission on October 18, 2019.

Test of the solar panels on the Van Allen Probe A.
Van Allen Probe A (above) and B (below) on their adapter
Start of the Atlas V with the Van Allen Probes on board

begin

On March 16, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced that it had received an order from NASA to launch the Van Allen Probes with an Atlas V-401 launcher. The launch took place on August 30, 2012 at 8:05 a.m. UTC within the scheduled 20-minute launch window.

Results

The satellites discovered that a particularly strong gust of solar wind can form another (third) radiation belt around the earth. This forms outside of the previous outer ring. The previously outer ring is used to store high-energy particles. This configuration is then stable until another gust of solar wind allows the original configuration to re-emerge. It is not yet known whether this happens often.

Web links

Commons : Van Allen Probes - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

^ Van Allen Probes - Mission Overview. NASA, March 28, 2012, accessed July 8, 2012 .
↑ Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) ( Memento from May 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
^ Karen C. Fox: Launching Balloons in Antarctica. NASA, February 22, 2011, accessed July 13, 2012 .
^ Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses
↑ Construction Begins! The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, January 2010, archived from the original on July 24, 2012 ; Retrieved August 30, 2012 .
↑ ^a ^b RBSP Launch. NASA, accessed August 30, 2012 .
↑ NASA Renames Radiation Belt Mission to Honor Pioneering Scientist
^ First of Two Van Allen Probes Spacecraft Ceases Operations . NASA, July 23, 2019.
↑ NASA's resilient Van Allen Probes shut down . Spaceflight Now, October 20, 2019.
↑ United Launch Alliance Atlas V Awarded Four NASA Rocket Launch Missions. ULA, March 16, 2009, accessed August 30, 2012 .
^ Radiation Belt Storm Probes arrive at Florida launch site. Spaceflight Now, May 2, 2012, accessed August 30, 2012 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Tilmann Althaus: Earthly Magnetosphere, Sometimes the Earth's magnetic field has three radiation belts , in Sterne-und-Weltraum.de, February 28, 2013, accessed on March 3, 2012
↑ Van Allen Probes Mission: NASA probes find Earth's radiation belt. Spiegel Online, March 1, 2013, accessed March 3, 2013 .

[homepage-1] Van Allen Probes - Mission Overview. NASA, March 28, 2012, accessed July 8, 2012 .

[2] Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) ( Memento from May 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

[3] Karen C. Fox: Launching Balloons in Antarctica. NASA, February 22, 2011, accessed July 13, 2012 .

[4] Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses

[5] Construction Begins! The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, January 2010, archived from the original on July 24, 2012 ; Retrieved August 30, 2012 .

[launch-6] RBSP Launch. NASA, accessed August 30, 2012 .

[7] NASA Renames Radiation Belt Mission to Honor Pioneering Scientist

[8] First of Two Van Allen Probes Spacecraft Ceases Operations . NASA, July 23, 2019.

[9] NASA's resilient Van Allen Probes shut down . Spaceflight Now, October 20, 2019.

[10] United Launch Alliance Atlas V Awarded Four NASA Rocket Launch Missions. ULA, March 16, 2009, accessed August 30, 2012 .

[11] Radiation Belt Storm Probes arrive at Florida launch site. Spaceflight Now, May 2, 2012, accessed August 30, 2012 .

[SUW-12] Tilmann Althaus: Earthly Magnetosphere, Sometimes the Earth's magnetic field has three radiation belts , in Sterne-und-Weltraum.de, February 28, 2013, accessed on March 3, 2012

[spon-13] Van Allen Probes Mission: NASA probes find Earth's radiation belt. Spiegel Online, March 1, 2013, accessed March 3, 2013 .