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48541
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun than ever before
URL: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/nasa-s-parker-solar-probe-aims-to-fly-closer-to-19996365.php
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NASA's Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun like never before By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, AP Science Writer Updated Dec 22, 2024 8:02 a.m. FILE - This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that's capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP, File)Steve Gribben/AP NEW YORK (AP) — A NASA spacecraft aims to fly closer to the sun than any object sent before. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. Since then, it has flown straight through the sun's corona: the outer atmosphere visible during a total solar eclipse. The next milestone: closest approach to the sun. Plans call for Parker on Tuesday to hurtle through the sizzling solar atmosphere and pass within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles (6 million kilometers) of the sun's surface. At that moment, if the sun and Earth were at opposite ends of a football field, Parker "would be on the 4-yard line,” said NASA's Joe Westlake. Mission managers won't know how Parker fared until days after the flyby since the spacecraft will be out of communication range. Parker planned to get more than seven times closer to the sun than previous spacecraft, hitting 430,000 mph (690,000 kph) at closest approach. It's the fastest spacecraft ever built and is outfitted with a heat shield that can withstand scorching temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,371 degrees Celsius). It'll continue circling the sun at this distance until at least September. Scientists hope to better understand why the corona is hundreds of times hotter than the sun’s surface and what drives the solar wind, the supersonic stream of charged particles constantly blasting away from the sun. The sun's warming rays make life possible on Earth. But severe solar storms can temporarily scramble radio communications and disrupt power. The sun is currently at the maximum phase of its 11-year cycle, triggering colorful auroras in unexpected places. “It both is our closest, friendliest neighbor,” Westlake said, “but also at times is a little angry.” |
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48543
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun than ever before
URL: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/nasa-s-parker-solar-probe-survives-close-brush-20002982.php
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NASA's Parker Solar Probe survives close brush with the sun's scorching surface By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, AP Science Writer Dec 27, 2024 NEW YORK (AP) — NASA's Parker Solar Probe has successfully made the closest approach to the sun, the space agency confirmed Friday. Earlier this week, the spacecraft passed within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles (6 million kilometers) of the scorching star. NASA received an all-clear message from Parker on Thursday night confirming it survived the journey. Launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun, Parker has since flown straight through its crownlike outer atmosphere, or corona. With its close brush complete, the craft is expected to circle the sun at this distance through at least September. It’s the fastest spacecraft built by humans, and hit 430,000 mph (690,000 kph) at closest approach. It is outfitted with a heat shield that can withstand scorching temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). Scientists hope the data from Parker will help them better understand why the sun's outer atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface and what drives the solar wind, the supersonic stream of charged particles constantly blasting away from the sun. |
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