– Parker Solar Probe is a NASA mission to explore the Sun’s corona and atmosphere up close. It is the first mission to fly through the Sun’s corona.
– The probe launched in August 2018 and is gradually flying closer to the Sun over a 7-year mission, making 24 orbits.
– At its closest approach, Parker will come within 3.9 million miles of the Sun’s surface, well within Mercury’s orbit – closer than any previous spacecraft.
– The goals are to study the origin and evolution of the solar wind, trace the flow of energy that heats the corona, and explore what accelerates solar wind particles.
– Onboard instruments will measure plasma, energetic particles, and magnetic fields, and take images of the solar wind.
– The probe is protected by a heat shield that can withstand temperatures up to 1400°C when close to the Sun.
– The mission is named after Eugene Parker, who first predicted the existence of the solar wind in the 1950s.
– Data from Parker Solar Probe will help scientists understand space weather and its effects on satellites and technology.
Source: NASA
