Nasa spacecraft attempts to make history with closest-ever approach to the sun
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A Nasa spacecraft will attempt to make history on Christmas Eve with the closest-ever approach to the sun. Moving at speeds of up to 430,000mph and enduring temperature of up to 982C, Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe is on a mission to “touch” the sun to help scientists better understand the star, according to the space agency’s website.
On December 24, the probe will pass by the sun within a record-breaking 3.6 million miles above its surface. In a video on X, Nasa’s science associate administrator Dr Nicky Fox, explained that the mission will help discover what drives solar activity and why the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, is hotter than its surface.
She said: “By flying extremely close to the sun, Parker Solar Probe can directly measure the solar wind near the source, and that will help us understand the origins of the solar wind and those intense bursts of energy that come from our sun. “These insights are crucial for understanding what drives solar activity, which can affect technology on Earth, from satellites to power grids and even astronauts in space.
“By getting closer to the sun than ever before, Parker Solar Probe will reveal the secrets about our star that can help protect our technology and support our future exploration.”. During the approach, the spacecraft will be out of contact with the Earth because of constraints on signal transmission while it is in close proximity to the sun, meaning it will not be able to send a signal back to its operators until December 27 indicating its condition after the flyby.
