Justin Kasper, University of Michigan associate professor of climate and space sciences, prepares a model of the Faraday cup for testing prior to this summer’s Parker Solar Probe Launch. Kasper is principal investigator for Parker’s SWEAP investigation – charged with measuring the solar wind. The cup is tested in a vacuum chamber and hit with light from four modified IMAX projectors and particles from an ion gun – all to ensure it will operate in the sun’s atmosphere.
Photo: Levi Hutmacher/Michigan Engineering, Communications & Marketing