THE SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD OF THE SPACE-BASED SOLAR AND HELIOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY (SOHO)

The space-based Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is a joint v enture of ESA and NASA within the frame of the Solar Terrestrial Scien ce Programme (STSP), the first ''Cornerstone'' of ESA's long-term prog ramme ''Space Science - Horizon 2000''. The principal scientific objec tives of the SOHO mission are: a) a better understanding of the struct ure and dynamics of the solar interior using techniques of helioseismo logy, and b) a better insight into the physical processes that form an d heat the Sun's corona, maintain it and give rise to its acceleration into the solar wind. To achieve these goals, SOHO carries a payload c onsisting of 12 sets of complementary instruments which are briefly de scribed here.