NASA pilots fly high-altitude WB-57F over Iceland to study eclipse corona
During the August 12 total solar eclipse, NASA’s Johnson Space Center crew flew a WB-57F research plane from Houston to Iceland to capture high-altitude observations of the Sun’s corona.
On August 12, a total solar eclipse crossing Europe offered a rare chance to probe the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, whose temperature puzzle persists. NASA’s Johnson Space Center dispatched a WB-57F high-altitude research aircraft from Ellington Field in Houston to a base in Iceland, positioning it within the eclipse’s path of totality. Flying at roughly 50,000 feet, the plane rose above clouds and most atmospheric water vapor, enabling clear infrared measurements that ground observatories cannot obtain.
Pilot Tom Parent described months of teamwork between scientists, maintenance crews, and flight staff to meet the mission’s exacting requirements. During totality, pilot John Gustine steered the aircraft to maximize time in the Moon’s shadow, while sensor operator Cary Klemm managed camera focus and exposure to capture every possible data point. Principal investigator Amir Caspi of Southwest Research Institute emphasized that the data will advance understanding of coronal heating and space-weather processes that affect Earth’s environment.
Why it matters
The observations will improve knowledge of solar corona heating and space-weather impacts on Earth.
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