NASA’s Parker solar probe tries to never get close to the Sun

A NASA spacecraft attempts to make history with the closest approach to the Sun.

The Parker Solar Probe is plunging into our star’s outer atmosphere, enduring brutal temperatures and extreme radiation.

It is out of communication for several days during this fiery flyby and scientists will be waiting for a signal, scheduled for 05:00 GMT on December 28, to see if it has survived.

The hope is that the probe can help us better understand how the Sun works.

Dr Nicola Fox, NASA’s chief scientist, told BBC News: “For centuries people have studied the Sun, but you don’t experience the atmosphere of a place until you actually visit it.

“And that’s why we can’t really experience our star’s atmosphere unless we go through it.”

Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 and is headed to the center of our solar system.

It has already passed by the Sun 21 times and is getting closer, but the Christmas Eve visit broke records.

At its closest approach, the probe is 6.2 million kilometers from the surface of our star.

This may not sound that close, but NASA’s Nicola Fox puts it into perspective: “We’re 93 million miles away from the Sun, so if I put the Sun and Earth one meter apart, the solar probe Parker is four centimeters from the Sun, so that’s close.”

The probe will have to withstand temperatures of 1,400°C and radiation that could wear out the electronic components on board.

It is protected by a 11.5 cm (4.5 in) thick carbon composite shield, but the spacecraft’s tactic is to get in and out quickly.

In fact, it will move faster than any man-made object, reaching a speed of 430,000 mph, the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.

Parker’s speed comes from the immense gravitational pull he feels as he falls towards the Sun.

So why go to all this effort to “touch” the Sun?

Scientists hope that as the spacecraft passes through the outer atmosphere of our star, its corona, it will solve a long-standing mystery.

“The corona is very, very hot and we have no idea why,” explains Dr. Jenifer Millard, an astronomer at Fifth Star Labs in Wales.

“The surface of the Sun is about 6,000°C, but the corona, this tenuous outer atmosphere that can be seen during solar eclipses, reaches millions of degrees, and is further from the Sun. So how is that warming atmosphere?

The mission should also help scientists better understand the solar wind, the constant stream of charged particles gushing from the corona.

When these particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, the sky lights up with dazzling auroras.

But so-called space weather can also cause problems, destroying power grids, electronics and communication systems.

“Understanding the Sun, its activity, space weather and the solar wind is very important for our daily lives on Earth,” says Dr. Millard.

NASA scientists face an anxious wait over Christmas while the spacecraft is out of contact with Earth.

Nicola Fox says that as soon as a signal is sent home, the team will text you a green heart to let you know the probe is OK.

She admits she’s nervous about the bold attempt, but has faith in the research.

“I’ll worry about the spaceship. But we’ve really designed it to withstand all these brutal conditions. It’s a very, very tough little spaceship.”