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www.southgatearc.org
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Successful launch for SDOThe NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory which launched February 11 carries six Image Sensors from UK company e2v based in Chelmsford, Essex. Six e2v Charge Coupled Device (CCD) imaging sensors were launched into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida on board NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the first of NASA’s Living With a Star (LWS) programs to launch. The programs have been designed to study and understand the causes of solar variability and the impact these have on Earth and Near-Earth space. Four specially processed back illuminated e2v CCD203-82 (4k x 4k) sensors sensitive to extreme UV wavelengths are incorporated into the four AIA telescopes which will observe the Sun in wavelength range 9.4nm to 170nm. The AIA instrument is under the direction of Dr. Alan Title at LMSAL, and will use solar images taken in multiple wavelengths to study the energetics of the solar atmosphere and it’s interaction with the surface magnetic fields. Two front illuminated e2v CCD203-82 (4k x 4k) sensors are used in the HMI instrument to image the Sun in visible light at 617nm. The HMI instrument (built by LMSAL) is under the direction of Prof. Philip Scherrer at Stanford University, and will measure both solar surface magnetic fields and the Sun’s surface motion as a probe of the solar interior. Though the performance was optimised for each instrument, all CCDs have the same electrical format and were designed to operate at lower voltages than normal. This facilitates provision of drive electronics and also reduces the power demand on the spacecraft. The camera electronics were built in the UK by e2v’s project partners at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Watch the launch of the SDO Watch NASA | SDO's Instruments: AIA
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