NASA's Parker spacecraft attempted Tuesday to get closer to the sun than ever before, to a distance of 6.2 million kilometers. The mission's goal is to study the star's atmosphere, especially solar storms that may affect communication systems on Earth.
According to the US space agency, the team lost direct contact with the probe during the approach as planned, but the navigation signal is expected to return on Friday. During its approach to the Sun, Parker is expected to move at a speed of approximately 690,000 kilometers per hour. That's enough speed to fly from Washington to Tokyo, over eight thousand kilometers away, in less than a minute.
The probe's heat shield will withstand extreme temperatures of about 870 to 930 degrees Celsius, but the research instruments inside will remain at about 29 degrees Celsius.
“An example of bold thinking”
– The Parker probe mission is an example of bold thinking NASAwhen you do something that no one else has done before to answer age-old questions about our universe,” Arik Posner, Parker Solar Probe scientist, said in a statement.
This is the first record-breaking close approach of the Parker spacecraft to the Sun. The next two at a similar distance are planned for March 22 and June 19, 2025.
Parker Solar ProbeNASA
The Parker probe was launched in August 2018. Its mission is expected to last seven years.
The probe is named after Eugene Parker, an American astronomer who pioneered solar research. He died in 2022, at the age of 94.
Main photo source: NASA