Inspector Smile, chapter 2: she’s ready

2026 AD. An important moment in human history.

Chapter 2 of the ‘Inspector Smile’ comic strip narrows in on the very moment the European and Chinese teams finished building Smile.

Named ‘Inspector Smile’ in this story, her mission is to study Earth’s magnetic shield with a unique set of tools.

She will be the first to observe Earth’s magnetosphere in X-ray light, revealing exactly when, where and how the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic environment.

To complement her X-ray imaging, Smile will observe the northern lights in ultraviolet light. She will watch them non-stop for 45 hours at a time for the first time ever.

Inspector Smile will also carry two devices to directly pick up solar wind particles and analyse them on board, as well as an instrument to measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields around the spacecraft. These local measurements will give us even more clues on how the solar wind behaves, and how Earth’s magnetic field responds.

Ultimately, Smile will help us answer three key questions:

1. What really happens where the solar wind clashes with Earth’s magnetic shield?
2. What causes magnetic glitches on the dark side of Earth?
3. How can humans predict the most dangerous magnetic storms earlier?

After seven years in the making, Smile is now ready to begin her journey.

Inspector Smile, chapter 1: the dark side of the Sun

Inspector Smile, chapter 3: the countdown begins

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[Image description: A comic strip with 14 panels that continues the story of Inspector Smile. Chapter 2 narrows in on the important moment in time when European and Chinese teams finish building Smile. Her mission will be to study Earth’s magnetic field with a unique set of tools: X-ray vision, ultraviolet vision, a particle collector and a magnetic field sensor. Her priorities will be to answer three questions: 1) What really happens where the solar wind meets Earth’s magnetic shield? 2) What causes magnetic glitches on the dark side of Earth? and 3) How can humans predict the most dangerous magnetic storms earlier? As Inspector Smile is now ready to take up duty, her journey is about to begin.]