NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Survives Closest Approach to the Sun

A NASA spacecraft has made history by surviving the closest approach to the Sun.

The scientists received a signal from Parker solar probe shortly before midnight Thursday, after being out of communication for several days during its fiery flyby.

NASA said the probe was “safe” and operating normally after passing just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from the solar surface.

The probe plunged into our star’s outer atmosphere on Christmas Eve, enduring brutal temperatures and extreme radiation in a bid to improve our understanding of how the Sun works.

NASA then nervously waited for a signal, which was expected at 05:00 GMT on December 28.

Moving at up to 430,000 mph (692,000 kph), the spacecraft endured temperatures of up to 1,800F (980C), according to NASA’s website.

“This close-up study of the Sun allows Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scientists better understand how material in this region is heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of the solar wind (a continuous flow of material escaping from the Sol) and discover how energetic particles accelerate to near the speed of light,” the agency said.

Dr Nicola Fox, NASA’s chief scientist, previously told BBC News: “For centuries people have studied the Sun, but you don’t experience the atmosphere of a place until you actually go (and) 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 had already passed close to the Sun 21 times, getting closer and closer, but the Christmas Eve visit broke all records.

At its closest approach, the probe was 6.1 million kilometers from the surface of our star.

This may not sound so close, but Dr. Fox put it into perspective. “We are 93 million miles from the Sun, so if I put the Sun and the Earth one meter apart, the Parker Solar Probe is 4 cm from the Sun, so it’s close.”

The probe endured temperatures of 1,400°C and radiation that could have worn out the electronics on board.

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

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

Parker’s speed came from the immense gravitational pull he felt as he fell toward the Sun.

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

Scientists hope that when the spacecraft passes through our star’s outer atmosphere (its corona) it will have collected data that will solve a long-standing mystery.

“The corona is very, very hot and we have no idea why,” explained 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 farther from the Sun. So how is that atmosphere heating up? ?

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,” said Dr. Millard.

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

Dr. Fox expected the team to text her a green heart to let her know the probe was okay as soon as a signal was sent home.

She previously admitted she was nervous about the bold attempt, but had 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.”