The Regulus Network
presents
Mission SOLARIS
Scene 1: In the classroom
Teacher: I want you all to think about what you want to become when you grow up and share it with the class after the holidays. Just remember, aim high and touch the sky. You can all achieve anything you want if you put in the effort! The sky’s the limit!
Scene 2: In the dining room
Mr Solaris: So, how was your day?
Parker: It was fine
Aelia: It was good
(After dinner, Parker leaves the room and goes to his bedroom)
Aelia: Hey Dad! I was just wondering, why was I named Aelia?
Mr Solaris: Your mother gave you that name. It has an Ancient Roman Origin and means "sun". Your mum believed that the sun held the answers to everything in the universe. She believed that it was one's hesistations was the limit, not the sky.
Scene 3: In Parker's bedroom
Aelia (curious): Hey parker, What are you doing? What is that?
Parker: This is the SOLARIS Probe. Dad has told us so much about the Parker Solar probe…how it touched the sun…how our mum was one of the people who programmed it. Haven’t you ever wanted to actually see that? When it went closer than ever before? When it touched the sun?
Aelia: Yeah, I have but it’s not possible is it ?
Parker: Well think again little sister, cause the SOLARIS probe will do just that. This will take us back in time and will attach itself to the Parker Solar Probe with us inside it. We can call it 'Mission SOLARIS'
Aelia: Little sister? Oh come on, I’m not that little. Plus, won't they see us and more importantly won't we MELT? I don’t about you but I’d rather not become human soup!
Parker:It’ll be invisible aaaannnd withstand up to the same temperatures as the Parker probe. 3,000 °F or 1,650 °C to be exact
Brother (points to poster the Parker Solar Probe) : How? Thermal Protection System with carbon-composite material THAT’S HOW!
Parker:Inside temperature will be near room temperature, at about 85° F.
Brother (back to his position and a neutral expression): So…are you gonna come?
Aelia: Of course, I’m gonna come!
Parker: Well come on then, I’ll shrink us with the Shrink-O-Matic and we can get going.
Scene 4: Inside the SOLARIS probe (in Cape Canaveral)
Parker:3,2,1 aaannd were officially back in time and attached to the Parker Solar Probe! If I say this in 3rd person, then Parker is attached to the Parker-
Aelia:But where exactly are we? Or should I say when are we? And why are we inside a rocket?!
Parker:If I’m not wrong, it’s August 12, 2018, and we’re currently in the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida aboard the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket that launched the Parker Solar Probe.
Aelia: I think the countdown has begun
Somewhere outside: 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.....
Scene 5: Fast forward
Aelia (shocked): Parker, I just realized something
Parker (relaxing with both hands behind head): What?
Aelia: Didn’t dad mention that it took nearly 3 years for the Parker Solar Probe to reach the sun? Don’t tell me that we’re gonna be here for the next 3 years till we reach the sun!
Parker:Ah! about that! Don’t worry sis I’ve got it all covered. There are inbuilt controls in the SOLARIS to fast forward into time.
Aelia: Oh my gosh! Earth looks like a tiny dot from here!
G: And is that the International Space Station?
Parker:Yeah, it’s orbiting earth in the Ionosphere
Scene 6: Faster than lightning
Aelia:How fast can this move? Faster than lightning I bet!
Parker:Yup, just wait till we go closer to the sun. We’ll move at around 430,000 mph. That's like going from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., in one second or from New York to Tokyo in less than a minute.
Aelia:Woah! So basically it’s like going from the Statue of Liberty to the Tokyo Tower faster the going up the Empire State Building in an elevator!
Parker:Yeah! anyways, let me fast forward in time
WHOOSH
Scene 7: Venus Flyby
Parker (holding a comb in hand like a mike) : (in a commentator voice) Welcome to 3rd of October, 2018!
Aelia: Where are we? Is that Venus?
Parker(holding a comb in hand like a mike) : (in a commentator voice) Correct! 10 points to Aelia Solaris. The Parker Solar Probe has officially made its 1st Venus flyby!
Aelia: Why flyby Venus to touch the sun? And when you say 1st flyby do you mean to say that there’ll be more?
Scene 8: Meeting ELIO
(a robot like thing suddenly appears and begins to rap)
Robot:
Parker Solar Probe uses Venus' gravity
Search it up, that’s the reality
When the 7 flybys will be all done
It’s orbit will be closer to the sun
Aelia (shocked): Who are you?
Parker:Oh yeah, sorry ELIO. I forgot to introduce you. Aelia this is ELIO. It’s short Excellence Loving Intelligent Organism. I programmed him to rap instead of talk.
Aelia (with disbelief): Did you make him?
Parker: Yup, he’s my worthy successor. I shrunk him with the Shrink-O-Matic too, in case you’re wondering.
Scene 9: light yellowish Venus
Aelia: Is it just me or does Venus look like a lemon
ELIO:
The thick carbon dioxide atmosphere and clouds of sulphuric acid
Give it a light yellowish appearance and an atmosphere so arid
Parker:Yeah, I guess it does look a bit like a lemon
Parker: ELIO where to next? Or should I say WHEN to next?
ELIO:
2018, 29th of October
should be our very next stopover
Parker:Off to 29th October we shall go
Scene 10: Celebration!
Aelia: Ooh! 2 days before halloween!
Parker (in a commentator voice): (holding a comb in hand like a mike) 'Tis not an early halloween celebration dear sister, but rather the day that that the Parker Solar Probe goes far closer than any spacecraft has ever gone before!
Parker:Do you know what this calls for? CELEBRATION!
Parker:Start the music ELIO
(Colourful lights and music turn on)
Aelia:Parker! Parker! PARKER!
Parker(yells): Sorry, can’t hear you over the music sis!
Parker: (does the moonwalk)
Parker: Look at me! I’m doing the moonwalk in space!
Aelia: ELIO turn off the music
(Colourful lights and music turn on )
Aelia: Parker, what set the previous record for going closest to the sun?
Parker (pouting): Oh come on, did you HAVE to stop the celebration for that?/ Is that what you stopped the celebration for?
Aelia: Oh come on! I wanna know
Parker: Well, it was set by Helios B in 1976.
Parker: Anyways, since the celebration was cut short due to UNFORSEEN situations (looks at Aelia). Shall we fast forward in time once again?
Aelia: That we shall!
Parker:Great! Where where next ELIO? Let’s make quick it I’m so excited for the momentum when we touch the sun!
ELIO:
November 5, 2018 for the the 1st Perihelion
And January 19, 2019 for the 1st Aphelion
WHOOSH
Scene 11: Perihelion
Parker:Here we’re in the 1st Perihelion now!
Aelia:Peri-what?
Parker:Perihelion. It is a point in the orbit of a body circling the sun that is closest to the star.
Scene 12: Aphelion
Parker:Now we’re 1st Aphelion! Aphelion is the point at which an orbiting body is furthest from the sun.
Aelia:By any chance, did the Parker Solar Probe help in the study of Venus?
ELIO:
Pictures by PSP of Venus in visible light
Took Venusian science to a substantial height
With just time, inspection, and investigation
It’ll provide Venus’ geology and minerals related information
Aelia: PSP?
Parker:Parker Solar Probe! Duh!
Aelia ( looking sheepishly): Oh! right…didn’t think of that before
WHOOSH
Scene 13: Almost Eugene Solaris
Parker:Second Orbit Begins!
Aelia: Where…sorry WHEN are we?
Parker:January 20, 2019 of course!
Aelia: So, we’re a day after the 1st Aphelion
Parker (hands behind head chilling): Yeah!
Aelia :So, I was thinking-
Parker:That can’t be good
Aelia: PARKER!
Parker:Ok, ok, sorry, go on
Aelia: So, dad said that mum named you after the Parker Solar Probe right? Who did they name the Parker Solar Probe after?
Parker:Dr. Eugene N. Parker, he’s the one who basically discovered solar winds.
Aelia: Solar winds? As in, winds from the sun?
Parker:Nah, more like charged particles from the sun…moving super fast…at like 1 million mph.
Parker:The earth’s magnetosphere protects the Earth from the solar winds. The northern and southern lights occur when the solar winds hit the magnetosphere.
Aelia:I guess we can conclude that the magnetosphere plays the role of a gatekeeper
Parker:Yeah a gatekeeper who traps unwanted energies in twin doughnut-shaped zones called the Van Allen Belts.
Aelia: So, lemme get this straight. Had they decided to name the Parker Solar Probe after Dr. Eugene Parker’s first name instead of last name. Then your name would have been Eugene Solaris
Parker:I guess so, but I prefer Parker Solaris
Aelia: When to next?
Parker:To the time when the PSP touched the sun of course! But brace yourselves! Higher than expected amounts of dust was observed near the Sun by the PSP
Parker:So shall we go then!
Aelia: Yes!
ELIO:
Yes
Yes
WHOOSH
4 Venus Flybys, 7 Perihelions and 1 Aphelion later
Scene 4: In the classroom
Parker (in a commentator voice): (holding a comb in hand like a mike) Here we are, it’s the 28th of April 2021. Where are we? Alfvén critical surface THAT’S WHERE! End of the solar atmosphere and beginning of the solar wind!
Aelia:We have touched the sun!
ELIO: We have touched the sun
Other humans we have outdone-
Parker:One major step for Parker Solar Probe and one giant leap for solar science!
Aelia:We’re going further in!
Parker:Just 15 solar radii or 6.5 million miles from the Sun’s surface! We’re passing through the Pseudostreamers!
Aelia: I think we can safely say that the sky’s no longer the limit
Scene 15: Back in the classroom
Aelia:When I grow up, I want to become an astronaut
Narrator: So yeah, travelling with my brother and ELIO in the SOLARIS probe made me realize something.