(Daily point) — Launched by NASA in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe embarks on a pioneering mission to explore the Sun, culminating in a historic flyby on December 24 of the upcoming year.
Traveling at an astounding speed of 195 km/s (435,000 mph), the probe will approach within 6.1 million km (3.8 million miles) of the Sun’s surface – a proximity never before achieved by any human-made object. Dr. Nour Raouafi, the project scientist, likens this endeavor to “almost landing on a star,” drawing parallels to the monumental Moon landing in 1969.
The audacious goal of the Parker Solar Probe is to execute repeated, progressively closer passes of the Sun, with the upcoming maneuver bringing it to just 4% of the Sun-Earth distance. This ambitious strategy is not without its challenges, as the probe will encounter temperatures reaching 1,400°C at its closest point, a result of the Sun’s intense gravitational pull. To withstand these extreme conditions, Parker employs a swift in-and-out movement strategy, utilizing a suite of instruments protected by a robust heat shield to make crucial measurements of the solar environment.
The primary objective is to deepen our understanding of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, where temperatures unexpectedly soar to over a million degrees. The counterintuitive superheating and acceleration of charged particles within the corona remain enigmatic phenomena. Scientists are optimistic that the data collected by Parker will unravel these mysteries, providing essential insights to enhance solar behavior forecasts and improve our understanding of “space weather.” Accurate forecasts are vital for mitigating the impacts of solar eruptions on Earth’s communication systems, power grids, and addressing health risks for astronauts.
As the mission reaches its zenith in the upcoming year, with close approaches and an extended sojourn in the corona, researchers anticipate groundbreaking discoveries about solar processes. The information gathered during the historic December 24 flyby, where Parker will spend an extended period in the corona, presents a unique opportunity to study potential waves in the solar wind associated with the heating phenomenon. While the probe won’t venture any closer to the Sun after December, the amassed data is expected to significantly contribute to our understanding of the Sun and its impact on space weather, with implications for future lunar exploration and human presence beyond Earth.
