The sun will have a surprise visitor for Christmas: NASA's Parker Solar Probe, which will come uncomfortably close to its star. A small probe is preparing for its closest approach to the Sun this week. It can withstand temperatures up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (982.2 degrees Celsius).
at Parker Solar Probe It was launched in August 2018 on a mission to touch the sun. Getting closer to the star with each orbit, on December 24, the spacecraft will be within 6.1 million kilometers of the Sun's surface, making it the closest approach to the Sun in history. When that distance is reached This mission has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the sun. It resists the harsh radiation emanating from the star. to collect information about the origin and evolution of the solar wind
This close encounter has been going on for a long time. In 2021, the investigation has become First mission to fly through the sun's coronaor a star's upper atmosphere, Parker Solar Probe traveled rapidly through a coronal mass ejection (CME), a burst of high-energy radiation from the Sun, in its historic flyby. In September 2022 mission Repeat the maneuver. and collect data to help scientists understand how the Sun's plasma interacts with the surrounding interplanetary dust.
This September The Parker probe has come close to the Sun 21 times, coming within 7.26 million kilometers of the solar surface. In November, the Parker Solar Probe went into operation. Seventh and final flyby of VenusIt uses the planet's gravitational pull to hurl itself into ever closer orbit around the sun. The flyby is the final step in a mission designed to spin the probe to the closest point to our host star.
Parker Solar Probe is considered the fastest man-made object in history. But during the closest approach The spacecraft will orbit the sun at a record-breaking speed of 430,000 mph. NASA– Parker Solar Probe needs such speed to overcome the Sun's gravitational pull. with such speed A spaceship can travel from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia in one second.
The spacecraft must also survive the intense heat from the Sun. The heat shield will reach temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (982.2 degrees Celsius) while maintaining the spacecraft's body at 29.4 degrees Celsius. The Parker Solar Probe's heat shield is 8 feet (2.4 meters) in diameter and 4.5 thick. inches (approximately 115 mm) in diameter, the shield consists of carbon composite foam sandwiched between two carbon sheets. It has a white ceramic coating on the plate facing the sun to reflect as much heat from the stars as possible.
If it hovers unprecedentedly close to the sun The spacecraft will follow the flow of energy across the star's surface. Studying the heat of the solar corona and investigate what accelerates the solar wind NASA–
With this information Scientists hope to find answers to the Sun's most enduring mysteries. One of the most puzzling features of the Sun is that its corona, or upper atmosphere, is about 200 times hotter than the surface. Another heliophysical problem Parker might address is the main driver of the solar wind and where it originates. Origin of high-energy solar particles Data from the probe could also help scientists better predict space weather. which can be done affect the world Through the beautiful aurora borealis and waves that wreaked havoc on the world's electrical infrastructure.
The flyby on Christmas Eve was the first of three flybys at the same distance from the sun. By taking full advantage of the spaceship's insane abilities.