NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flies closer to the Sun than any other object ever

The US space agency NASA confirmed that the Parker Solar Probe made history on Tuesday with a record flight around the sun. Spacecraft Setting a new standard Early in the morning of December 24, at a distance of 3.8 million miles from the Sun’s outer atmosphere.

A The signal received by NASA operations teams He admitted late on December 26 that the probe had survived the close collision and was operating normally.

“Flying this close to the sun is a historic moment in the first human mission to a star,” Nikki Fox, head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement on Friday.

When the spacecraft reaches a new location in January 2025, it will transmit data from that flyby to Earth.

Read more: See NASA’s stunning image of the Sun exhaling its largest solar flare since 2017

According to NASA, the Parker Solar Probe has reached speeds of up to 430,000 miles per hour and endured temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (982 degrees Celsius). Although the probe is scheduled to orbit the sun two more times, this mission represents the closest it will ever get.

The next planned close solar passes are expected to take place on March 22 and June 19, 2025.

“Data from uncharted territory”

The agency said on its website that the mission is part of a broader effort by scientists “to conduct unparalleled scientific research with the potential to change our understanding of our closest star.” Website.

The spacecraft, which was launched in 2018, made several flybys near Venus to gradually approach the sun. These flights also provided scientists with insightful information about Venus, thanks to on-board instruments capable of capturing visible and near-infrared light from the planet, the agency said on its website. This allowed researchers to peer through Venus’ dense cloud cover.

When the probe entered the sun’s atmosphere for the first time in 2021, it provided groundbreaking information about the corona.

“No man-made object has ever passed this close to the star, so Parker will actually be returning data from uncharted territory,” Nick Behnken, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager, said in a report. press release In December. “We’re excited to hear the spacecraft’s response as it swings back around the sun.”

The Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA’s Living with a Star program, which aims to explore aspects of the solar system that affect life on Earth.