Czech science achievements: The Czech Academy of Sciences awards researchers for extraordinary results

 

The team of 17 scientists from the Astronomical Institute, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics and the Institute of Plasma Physics took the prize for participation in the Solar Orbiter Project. It aims to know the sun and the inner heliosphere at point-blank range. It should come closest to the Sun of any probe so far. It carries 10 instruments, three of which (Metis, RPW and STIX) were worked on by scientists from the Czech Academy of Sciences.

 

The probe took off from the U.S. Cape Canaveral toward the sun overnight Sunday into Monday (9th. 2. /10. 2. 2020). It is a groundbreaking European satellite, the design of which has also involved scientists from IPP, namely the TOPTEC Centre in Turnov. The probe has already taken a number of unique images. A key part of the satellite is a unique optical system developed and produced by Czech scientists from the Research Center for Special Optics and Optolectronic Systems TOPTEC in Turnov.