NASA is pushing the boundaries of space exploration once again with its Parker Solar Probe, which is set to fly closer to the sun than any spacecraft before it. Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe has already made significant strides, including flying through the sun's corona—the outer atmosphere that becomes visible during a total solar eclipse.
The upcoming milestone is particularly exciting. On Tuesday, the probe will hurtle through the intense solar atmosphere, coming within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles (6 million kilometers) of the sun's surface. To put this into perspective, if the sun and Earth were positioned at opposite ends of a football field, the Parker Solar Probe would be at the 4-yard line.
NASA’s Joe Westlake explained that mission managers won’t know the probe’s exact status immediately after the flyby, as it will be out of communication range for several days. This close approach marks the Parker Solar Probe as the fastest spacecraft ever built, reaching speeds of up to 430,000 mph (690,000 kph) at its closest point. Equipped with a state-of-the-art heat shield, the probe can withstand scorching temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,371 degrees Celsius).
The mission doesn’t end with this flyby. The Parker Solar Probe will continue its orbit around the sun at this unprecedented distance until at least September, allowing scientists to gather more data. The primary goals are to understand why the sun's corona is hundreds of times hotter than its surface and to uncover the mechanisms driving the solar wind—the supersonic stream of charged particles emanating from the sun.
The sun is not only essential for life on Earth, providing the warmth and energy needed for survival, but it also has the power to impact our technology. Severe solar storms can disrupt radio communications and power grids, making the study of the sun’s behavior crucial.
Currently, the sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle, which is responsible for the beautiful auroras that have been appearing in unexpected places around the globe. As Westlake aptly put it, the sun is \"our closest, friendliest neighbor,\" yet it can also be \"a little angry\" at times.
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NASA's solar probe aims to fly closer to the sun like never before
cgtn.com
