NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is making history today by diving into the Sun’s outer atmosphere at unprecedented speed and distance. The spacecraft will swoop within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface while moving at a blistering 430,000 miles per hour.
This extreme maneuver marks the probe’s 23rd close solar encounter and is expected to yield a new flood of data that could help scientists unlock some of the Sun’s most elusive mysteries. The mission team will receive the spacecraft’s post-flyby transmission early next week.
The Parker Solar Probe has made history before, including its closest-ever solar flyby in December 2024. This new approach will repeat the feat, with the spacecraft plunging into the Sun’s corona, the scorching outer atmosphere that extends millions of miles into space.
During its closest passes, Parker will be completely autonomous, cut off from communication with Earth as it endures extreme conditions. The spacecraft was last heard from on March 16 and is expected to send its next signal on March 25 after the flyby.
The probe’s four onboard instruments will measure magnetic fields, energetic particles, and plasma waves from inside the Sun’s atmosphere, a place no mission before Parker has ever reached. This data will help scientists answer questions about why the corona is hotter than the Sun’s surface and how the solar wind accelerates to such high speeds.
The Parker Solar Probe was built for this impossible feat, with a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-composite heat shield capable of withstanding temperatures approaching 2,500°F. Its instruments operate at near room temperature, shielded from the violent environment just inches away.
Despite its impressive engineering, the spacecraft must navigate entirely on its own during these encounters, adjusting its position and stabilizing its sensors while hurtling through space at nearly 700,000 km/h.
Source: https://indiandefencereview.com/nasas-solar-probe-sun-at-430000-mph