Chinese probe, Tianwen 1 captured collisions of fast and slow solar wind
(CNSA)
Researchers working with China's first Martian probe, Tianwen 1, has published the first data collected by the ion and energetic neutral atom analyzer MINPA
The instrument examined the solar wind during the station's flight from Earth to Mars.
The device was able to determine the parameters of the solar wind along the trajectory of the station
Tianwen 1, the first Chinese robotic exploration mission to Mars, was launched in July 2020.
On February 10, 2021, the orbital probe entered the near-Mars orbit, and in May its rover began its work on Mars.
The Tianwen-1 has 13 devices, including cameras. With their help, scientist can create a topographic map of the planet, look for deposits of water ice, study the structure and composition of the near-surface layer, and also study the ionosphere and climate of Mars.
A group of scientists from the Tianwen 1 team, led by AiBing Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published the first results of the analysis of data collected during an interplanetary flight.
The information was gathered by one of the onboard instruments of the orbital probe, an analyzer of ions and energetic neutral atoms MINPA.
The instrument engaged in research on the parameters of solar wind ions in the period from October 31, 2020 to January 26, 2021.
During the flight, almost half of the MINPA's field of view was blocked by the landing capsule, which is why the device could record only a part of the arriving ions.
Nevertheless, the device collected a large amount of data, in particular, it registered the ions of the cold solar wind with a total kinetic energy of 500 electron volts to 2 keV.
According to the measurements, the total solar wind speed varied from 250 to 670 kilometers per second.
Unfortunately, MINPA did not register the interplanetary coronal mass ejection that reached Earth on December 10, 2020, because it was turned off.
On the other hand, the instrument detected several stream interaction regions (SIRs), which are elements of the large-scale structure of the solar wind and arise when a fast solar wind flow from a coronal hole catches up with the preceding low-speed flow
This leads to a compression of the plasma and an increase in its density and temperature.
According to the instrument, they are characterized by a rapid increase in the speed of the solar wind, a small peak in local density, an increase in the temperature of protons, and a deviation of the solar wind in the transverse direction.
Source:
- Earth and Planetary Physics: http://eppcgs.xml-journal.net/article/doi/10.26464/epp2022014?pageType=en