NASA RHESSI Solar Satellite: Hey, didn’t you notice the fall of a 299-kilogram (660-pound) object on Earth? Well, NASA did it yesterday! Read this article to know why this fall happened.
Hey, didn’t you notice the fall of a 299 kilograms (660-pound) object on Earth? Well, NASA did it yesterday! Read this article to know why this fall happened.
The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Image (RHESSI) satellite, launched by NASA in February 2002, fell back to Earth and disintegrated over the Saharan desert, the US Department of Defense confirmed.
The satellite spent 16 years observing highly-energetic particles ejected from the Sun during intense outbursts caused by the release of magnetic energy.
Despite being decommissioned in 2018, RHESSI continued to float in low-Earth orbit due to a communications malfunction until it re-entered the atmosphere on April 19, breaking up over the Sahara Desert.
Launch & Decommissioning of NASA RHESSI Solar Satellite
The 660-pound (299 kilograms) satellite mostly burnt up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA.
However, some components of the satellite likely survived the fall and could be scattered somewhere over the Saharan desert.
The satellite arrived at approximately 21.3 degrees north latitude and 26 degrees east longitude, stated the US Department of Defense.
RHESSI’s Purpose and Capabilities
RHESSI was the major observatory capable of performing imaging spectroscopy of energetic electrons emitted in solar flares.
This allowed scientists to trace where these particles were being ejected and what energies they were being accelerated to.
“Before RHESSI, no gamma-ray images nor high-energy X-ray images had been taken of solar flares,” said NASA.
NASA
The spacecraft recorded over 100,000 solar flares, documenting the huge range in solar flare size, from tiny nanoflares to massive superflares tens of thousands of times bigger and more explosive.
Imaging Spectroscopy of Energetic Electrons
RHESSI observed the Sun longer than its 11-year solar cycle, despite the mission being initially planned for two years.
It performed better than expected and provided scientists with data that offered insights into how the Sun generated coronal mass ejections.
These powerful bursts release energy equivalent to billions of megatons of TNT, which can frazzle satellites and disrupt communications on Earth.
RHESSI’s Observation Of Solar Flares
“RHESSI made discoveries not related to flares, such as improving measurements of the Sun’s shape, and showing that terrestrial gamma-ray flashes – bursts of gamma rays emitted from high in Earth’s atmosphere over lightning storms – are more common than previously thought,” concluded NASA.
NASA
The satellite was named in honor of Reuven Ramaty, a longtime NASA researcher and renowned solar physics scientist.
Goodbye RHESSI, Thanks For The Solar Research
RHESSI’s long mission contributed significantly to our understanding of solar flares and the Sun’s behavior.
Its imaging spectroscopy technology allowed scientists to trace highly-energetic particles’ movement, leading to new insights into the coronal mass ejections generated by the Sun.
Its discoveries were not only related to flares, but they also improved measurements of the Sun’s shape and discovered the occurrence of more terrestrial gamma-ray flashes.
Despite the satellite’s re-entry and disintegration, RHESSI’s contributions will continue to shape our understanding of the Sun.
However, ISRO’s Aditya L-1 will be the next biggest contribution to observing and researching solar flares in-depth.
