The plasma spectrometer for the Voyager space probe . Photo : KSEVT .
THE MAN WHO CAPTURED THE SOLAR WIND
“ The biggest challenge for me as a scientist was collaboration on the Voyager spacecraft .”
As a NASA contractor , Mavretič developed the electronics for a device that measures the solar wind . He worked as engineer on the project , having a critical role in the development of the plasma spectrometer . Called the PLS , it is used for measuring interplanetary plasma , the solar wind , and the composition of planetary atmospheres in the Solar System . One of the most important instruments humans have ever sent into space , the PLS has played a crucial role in the exploration of deep space by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 space probes , whose objectives included up-close investigation of the gas giants beyond the asteroid belt and , ultimately , the determination of the Solar System ’ s boundary . On 25 August 2013 , Voyager 1 became the first manmade object to pass this boundary ; if not for the PLS , the data demonstrating this achievement would never be obtained let alone analyzed .
The solar wind is a simplified term for the stream of charged particles – particularly protons and electrons – emitted by the Sun into interplanetary space .
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