NASAOf Parker Solar Probe Tuesday approached Close to the sun Marks a significant historical milestone, compared to any previous spacecraft.
During this flyby, the probe endured scorching temperatures of more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (930 degrees Celsius) as its advanced heat shield withstood the intense heat.
Launched in August 2018, the Parker Solar Probe began a seven-year mission aimed at deepening our scientific understanding of the Sun and increasing our ability to predict space weather events that could affect life on Earth. can do
Tuesday’s flyby, which was scheduled to take place at 6:53 a.m. local time (1153 GMT), brought the spacecraft incredibly close to the sun. Because of the intense solar environment, mission scientists expect to confirm the event’s success on Friday, when the probe emerges from a communications blackout caused by its proximity to the star.
To illustrate the proximity of the probe, if the distance between the Earth and the Sun were shortened to the length of an American football field, the Parker Solar Probe would be just four yards (about three meters) from its end zone. The closest approach, called perihelion.
“This is an example of NASA’s bold missions, doing something that no one else has done before to answer long-standing questions about our universe,” Parker Solar Probe program scientist Eric Posner said in a statement Monday. has not.” “We can’t wait to receive this first status update from the spacecraft and begin acquiring science data in the coming weeks.”
Despite the scorching heat of the Sun, the spacecraft’s sophisticated heat shield ensures that its internal equipment remains at a comfortable room temperature of about 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). Parker’s 4.5-inch-thick heat shield is engineered to withstand temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,371 degrees Celsius), thanks to a specially designed white coating that reflects much of the sun’s heat. is, allowing the spacecraft to maintain its internal systems. at safe operating temperature. This advanced technology enables probes to penetrate the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, which is hotter than its visible surface.
By stepping into these extreme conditions, the Parker Solar Probe is helping scientists solve some of the Sun’s most enduring mysteries, including its origin. Solar windbecause the corona is significantly hotter than the Sun’s surface, and the mechanism behind coronal mass ejections—large clouds of plasma that are ejected into space.
The Christmas Eve flyby marks the first of three record-setting close approaches, with the next two scheduled for March 22 and June 19, 2025. Each of these subsequent passes is expected to reach a similar distance from the Sun.