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A total solar eclipse lets NASA researchers try out technology that could one day aid in the development of future missions.

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However, they must flawlessly complete the experiment in a few short minutes.

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Nat: The corona can be studied from

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ground based telescopes only during an eclipse.

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Whenever an eclipse happens, we make use of it and try to test some of our ideas. 

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We have only 2 minutes to do the experiment

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and we have been preparing for maybe more

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than a year. Nelson: Nothing can go wrong. Your camera can't shut down.

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You can't press the wrong button. Because there is no time to change your mind

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or make an alternate decision.

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Nat: We are going to set up the telescope and observe the total solar eclipse

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at 4 different wavelengths. The images taken

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in these 4 different wavelengths will be used to

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determine the temperature and flow speed of the corona

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Nelson: We are taking these images using a polarization camera. Which will be a first for us

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I think it is the first for the solar physics community.

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Once the moon completely covers the sun, the experiment begins.

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It's my job to make sure the image is in the field of view.

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At the correct time, one

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person has to give the command to turn the filter wheel,

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and for each filter there is a different exposure time.

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Another person has to enter the exposure time.

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It's a combined effort of 6 different hands. No one 

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person can make any errors.

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Nat: We do feel the pressure and also the excitement of the eclipse, but still we have 

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to focus on our experiment.

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Nelson: It's a tense feeling, but I believe we will succeed. 

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music

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tone

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beeping

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beeping