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Shadow-Cone Pointing: Solar Proximity Probe

Fly a Parker-Solar-Probe-style spacecraft through repeated close solar passes: tilt the heat shield's pointing error and watch the shadow cone slide off the shielded spacecraft body, and slide perihelion distance to see the shield's sun-facing temperature climb while the safe pointing window narrows.

Space & Astronomy3DModerate60 FPS💨 Air & Wind

Simulate a Parker-Solar-Probe-style mission: the heat shield's sun-facing side runs hot continuously while the shadowed spacecraft body stays cool purely by staying inside the shield's shadow cone. Drag the pointing-error slider to see how little tilt it takes to expose the body, and the distance slider to see the safe window tighten and the shield's temperature climb near perihelion.

⚙ Under the hood

Fly a Parker-Solar-Probe-style spacecraft through repeated close solar passes: the heat shield's sun-facing side runs near 1,400°C continuously while the spacecraft body just behind it stays near room temperature purely by sitting inside the shield's shadow cone. Tilt the pointing-error slider to watch the shadow cone slide off the body and trigger a catastrophic exposure spike, and slide perihelion distance to see the shield's temperature climb and the safe pointing window narrow near closest approach.

Parker Solar Probeheat shieldshadow conespacecraft pointingsolar proximitythermal protectionaerospace

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install