NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Achieves Closest-Ever Approach to the Sun in Historic Mission: Everything You Need to Know
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is making history by approaching the Sun closer than ever before. As it descends into the Sun’s outer atmosphere, it will face extreme radiation and high temperatures. During this intense flyby, the spacecraft will temporarily lose communication, with scientists eagerly awaiting a signal, expected at 5:00 GMT on December 28, to confirm its survival.
The mission aims to deepen our understanding of the Sun’s behavior. Dr. Nicola Fox, head of NASA’s science division: “For centuries, we’ve studied the Sun, but we can’t truly understand its atmosphere until we experience it firsthand. We can’t fully grasp the nature of our star unless we fly through it.”
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe has already completed 21 passes by the Sun, getting closer with each orbit. However, this particular flyby on Christmas Eve is a significant milestone.
NASA’s Nicola Fox puts the spacecraft’s close proximity to the Sun into perspective: “We are 93 million miles away from the Sun, so if the distance between the Sun and Earth were just one meter, the Parker Solar Probe would be only four centimeters away—that’s incredibly close.”
The probe will endure temperatures of 1,400°C and intense radiation that could potentially damage its electronics. To protect it, the spacecraft is shielded by a carbon-composite barrier that is 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) thick. Its strategy is to make a swift entry and exit.
Traveling at a speed of 430,000 mph—faster than any human-made object—the probe’s velocity is equivalent to flying from London to New York in under 30 seconds.
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