NASA’s Parker probe will get much closer to the Sun

A NASA spacecraft aims to fly closer to the Sun than any object sent before.

The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to obtain a close view of the Sun. Since then, it has flown through the Sun’s corona – the outer atmosphere visible during a total solar eclipse.

The next milestone: get even closer. Plans call for Parker to pass through the scorching solar atmosphere on Tuesday and reach a record distance of 3.8 million miles from the sun’s surface.

Then, If the Sun and Earth were at opposite ends of a football field, Parker “would be on the 4-yard line.”said Joe Westlake of NASA.

Mission managers won’t know how Parker fared until days after the flyby, as the spacecraft will be out of communication.

Capable of reaching a speed of 430,000 miles per hour, Parker is the fastest spacecraft ever built and is equipped with a heat shield that can withstand temperatures of up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

It will continue to orbit the Sun at this distance at least until September. Scientists hope to better understand why the corona is hundreds of times hotter than the sun’s surface and what drives the solar wind, the supersonic stream of charged particles that constantly surges in the form of solar explosions.

The Sun’s heat makes life on Earth possible. But severe solar storms can temporarily disrupt radio communications and disrupt power.

Our star is currently in the peak phase of its 11-year cycle, which is why colorful auroras have been seen in unexpected places.

“He’s our closest and friendliest neighbor,” Westlake said, “but he’s also a little bit cranky sometimes.”