The Parker Solar Probe is set to make a record-breaking flyby of the sun on Tuesday, coming within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface. The spacecraft will fly at a speed of 430,000 miles per hour, making it the fastest human-made object in history. This flyby is part of the spacecraft’s final three closest approaches to the sun, with the other two expected to occur in March and June.
The Parker Solar Probe has been on a mission to explore the sun’s corona, or upper atmosphere, and to sample particles and magnetic fields. It has already flown through the sun’s corona and has collected data to help scientists understand some of the sun’s greatest mysteries, including how the solar wind is generated and why the sun’s corona is so much hotter than its surface.
The spacecraft is equipped with a carbon foam shield that is 4.5 inches thick and 8 feet wide, which is designed to withstand temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. The shield is able to keep the spacecraft’s interior at a comfortable room temperature, allowing the electronics systems and science instruments to operate as expected.
The Parker Solar Probe will conduct its flyby autonomously, as mission control will be out of contact with the spacecraft due to its proximity to the sun. After the flyby, the spacecraft will send a signal called a beacon tone back to mission control to confirm the success of the flyby.
The data gathered by the Parker Solar Probe could enable scientists to better understand solar storms and even how to predict them. The sun is the only star that we can see in detail, and the Parker Solar Probe is a laboratory in our solar system that allows us to learn about all the other stars in the universe and how they interact with the billions and billions of other planets that may or may not be like our own planets in our solar system.
The Parker Solar Probe’s mission is a historic milestone in the exploration of the sun and the solar system. The spacecraft has already made significant contributions to our understanding of the sun and its behavior, and its final flybys are expected to provide even more insights into the sun’s activity.
