A NASA space probe will fly into the sun on Christmas Eve
Science & Technology

A NASA space probe will fly into the sun on Christmas Eve

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Why it matters: The Parker Solar Probe is on an ambitious mission to study the origins of the solar wind – the constant stream of charged particles flowing outward from the sun. Despite over half a century of scientific investigation since its discovery in the 1960s, the phenomenon's precise source within the corona remains unknown. We're just days away from the Parker Solar Probe making its closest approach yet to the sun. The little spacecraft will barrel through the sun's outer atmosphere on Christmas Eve, passing within just 3.8 million miles of the surface below. That may sound like a significant distance, but for a red-hot celestial ball with a diameter...
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Parker Solar Probe to make closest approach yet to the sun
Science & Technology

Parker Solar Probe to make closest approach yet to the sun

NASA's Parker Solar Probe will come withing 6.1 million kilometers of the sun, closer than any other spacecraft. Credit: ASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve GribbenWASHINGTON — A NASA spacecraft is performing better than expected as it makes its closest approach to the sun this week. Parker Solar Probe will pass 6.1 million kilometers from the sun at 6:53 a.m. Eastern Dec. 24, the closest approach to the sun by this or any other spacecraft. At the time of closest approach, the spacecraft will be traveling 191 kilometers per second. The spacecraft launched in 2018 and used a series of gravity-assist flybys of Venus to lower its perihelion. The final Venus flyby, on Nov. 6, set up the spacecraft for this perihelion, the closest the spacecraft will fly to the sun on its mission. “On Christmas Eve of this year, Parker...
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NASA spacecraft touches Sun’s atmosphere, breaking record
Science & Technology

NASA spacecraft touches Sun’s atmosphere, breaking record

On Dec. 24, 2024, NASAs Parker Solar Probe made history with the closest ever approach to the Sun Published December 24, 2024 5:46PM (EST) Artists concept of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun.(NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben)The concept of touching the Sun can be traced back to the ancient Greek myth of Icarus, but scientists at NASA have turned that idea into a reality. On Dec. 24th, their Parker Solar Probe managed to travel to just within 3.86 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the Sun’s surface, a new record. The probe, which is roughly the size of a small car, has now become the human-made object to come closest to touching the Sun among everything our species has created. “Moving at up to 430,000 miles per hour (692,017 km per hour), the spacecraft...
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NASA probe expected to make history with closest approach to the sun
Science & Technology

NASA probe expected to make history with closest approach to the sun

Science A NASA spacecraft may have made history on Tuesday, flying closer to the sun than any object sent before.NASA won't know until Dec. 27 whether probe survivedCBC News · Posted: Dec 24, 2024 9:43 AM EST | Last Updated: December 24, 2024Solar probe makes closest ever approach to the sunNASA’s Parker Solar Probe attempted to break the record for proximity to the sun as it whizzed by our star on Tuesday. The man-made object came within roughly 6,000,000 kilometres of the sun’s surface and travelled at an astonishing speed of nearly 700,000 km/h. NASA will have to wait a few days to know if the probe survived its journey, as they'll attempt to re-establish contact on Dec. 27.A NASA spacecraft may have made history, flying closer to the sun than any object sent before. The Parker Solar...
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