NASA’s Parker solar probe was set to make history Tuesday by flying through the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Tunisian astrophysicist Nour Rawafi would play a central role in this mission. The goal of the mission is to help scientists learn more about the closest star to Earth. (Illustration: Nour Rawafi / the Parker Solar Probe flying in the Sun’s outer atmosphere).
As the probe was not in contact with the star, the mission operators were unable to confirm its state of health after its flyby.
The Parker probe was scheduled to fly 6.1 million kilometers from the Sun’s surface at 6:53 a.m. EST (11:53 GMT). Traveling at speeds of up to 692,000 km/h, the probe withstands temperatures of up to 982 degrees Celsius, NASA said on its website.
At the heart of this mission is Rawafi, a Tunisian astrophysicist and researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Rawafi is leading efforts to uncover the mysteries of the Sun, demonstrating how Tunisian talents are shaping the frontiers of space exploration.
“Nour and his team are unlocking the mysteries of our star, from understanding the solar storms that impact Earth to collecting groundbreaking data that will fuel discoveries for decades”the US Embassy in Tunis said in a Facebook post, celebrating the scientist. And to add: “This impressive mission reflects both the brilliance of human ingenuity and the vital role Tunisian talent plays in advancing scientific exploration on a global scale.”
From Tunis El Manar to Johns Hopkins
Rawafi graduated from the University of Tunis El Manar with a master’s degree in fundamental physics and received his doctorate from the University of Paris XI in Orsay, France.
The Tunisian scientist’s research spans a wide range of solar and heliospheric fields, with a focus on the dynamic solar corona – the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere, visible during a solar eclipse beneath the form of a luminous halo.
His main contributions have focused on the sun’s magnetic fields, which control many solar activities and influence space weather. He also worked on coronal spectropolarimetry, a technique that helps understand the magnetic fields and physical properties of the sun’s outer atmosphere.
Before joining the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2008, he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany and the National Solar Observatory in the United States.
Rawafi is also a member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Astronomical Society/Solar Physics Division (SPD).
First probe pass in 2021
When the Parker Solar Probe passed through the solar atmosphere for the first time in 2021, it discovered new details about the boundaries of the sun’s atmosphere and collected close-up images of coronal streamers, cusp-like structures observed during solar eclipses.
Since its launch in 2018, the probe has gradually moved closer to the sun, using flybys of Venus to gravitationally pull it into a tighter orbit with the sun.
An instrument aboard the spacecraft captured visible light from Venus, giving scientists a new way to see through the planet’s thick clouds to the surface below, NASA said.
With Reuters
