A NASA spacecraft is on a groundbreaking mission to make the closest approach to the Sun in history. The Parker Solar Probe is diving into the Sun’s outer atmosphere, braving scorching temperatures and intense radiation.
It’s out of communication for several days during this burning hot fly-by and scientists will be waiting for a signal, expected on 27 December, to see if it has survived.
The hope is that the probe could help us better understand how the sun works. Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018, has already swept past the Sun 21 times, getting ever nearer, but the Christmas Eve visit is record-breaking.
At its closest approach, the probe is 3.8 million miles (6.2 million km) from our star’s surface. This might not sound that close, but NASA’s Nicola Fox puts it into perspective: “We are 93 million miles away from the Sun, so if I put the Sun and the Earth one meter apart, Parker Solar Probe is four centimeters from the Sun – so that’s close.”
Will the spacecraft survive its closest approach to the sun?
The probe will have to endure temperatures of 1,400C and radiation that could frazzle the onboard electronics. It’s protected by an 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) thick carbon-composite shield but the spacecraft’s tactic is to get in and out fast.
In fact, as the BBC notes, it will be moving faster than any human-made object, hurtling at 430,000mph – the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.
Scientists hope that as the spacecraft passes through our star’s outer atmosphere – its corona – it will solve a long-standing mystery.
“The corona is really, really hot, and we have no idea why,” explains Dr Jenifer MIllard, an astronomer at Fifth Star Labs. “The surface of the Sun is about 6,000C or so, but the corona, this tenuous outer atmosphere that you can see during solar eclipses, reaches millions of degrees – and that is further away from the Sun. So how is that atmosphere getting hotter?”
The mission should also help scientists to better understand solar wind – the constant stream of charged particles bursting out from the corona.
When these particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field the sky lights up with dazzling auroras. But this so called space weather can cause problems too, knocking out power-grids, electronics and communication systems.
Nasa scientists face an anxious wait over Christmas while the spacecraft is out of touch with Earth. Nicola Fox says that as soon as a signal is beamed back home, the team will text her a green heart to let her know the probe is OK.
She admits she’s nervous about the audacious attempt, but she has faith in the probe. “I will worry about the spacecraft. But we really have designed it to withstand all of these brutal, brutal conditions. It’s a tough, tough little spacecraft.”
Related: NASA To Keep Pushing Space Exploration Boundaries In 2025
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