NASA's Probe Completes Closest-Ever Flyby of Sun

Saturday, December 28, 2024

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has been breaking records since the day it launched as the fastest space mission in history. Now, six years after it embarked on its quest to study the Sun, Parker has set yet another record. Early on Dec. 24, the spacecraft shot past the Sun at a distance of just 3.8 million miles. No other vehicle has accomplished this feat, which could help scientists better understand solar processes.

Posted by lamplighter at 12:30 PM | 2 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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... Parker was constructed with a unique heat shield made of carbon composite sandwiches. This allows it to withstand the intense heat during each pass. The shield is so effective that the probe's internal temperature barely gets above room temperature, averaging 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 degrees Celsius).

Still, Parker's speed is also key to its continued survival after numerous solar flybys. NASA calculated that Parker would be moving at a record-breaking 430,000 miles per hour as it hit the 3.8-million-mile mark. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-12-28 01:06 AM | Reply

Initial analysis from the multi-million dollar probe shows that the sun is very, very hot and also very, very bright- much brighter and much hotter than the Dandelion Crayola crayon usually associated by grade-schoolers with rendering it. As a result, Crayola has been gifted with a legitimate-sounding reason for discontinuing the popular color and their PR department is currently working feverishly crafting a suitable press release.

#2 | Posted by NerfHerder at 2024-12-28 02:11 PM | Reply