Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe survives its closest approach to the Sun

A NASA spacecraft has made history by surviving the closest approach to the Sun.

Scientists have detected a signal from Parker Solar Probe shortly before midnight on Thursday after being out of touch for several days during its fly-by-by.

Nasa said the probe was “safe” and operating normally after it passed within 3.8 million kilometers of the sun’s surface.

The probe entered our star’s atmosphere on Christmas Eve, enduring brutal temperatures and extreme radiation in an effort to improve our understanding of how the Sun works.

Nasa then waited anxiously for the signal, which was expected at 05:00 GMT on 28 December.

Traveling at speeds of up to 430,000 mph (692,000 kph), the spacecraft endures temperatures of up to 1,800F (980C), according to the Nasa website.

“This close study of the Sun allows the Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scientists better understand how the material in this area is heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of the solar wind (the continuous flow of material escaping from the Sun), and find out how energetic particles are accelerated to close proximity. of the speed of light,” said the organization.

Dr Nicola Fox, head of science at Nasa, previously told BBC News: “People have been studying the Sun for centuries, but you don’t see the atmosphere until you’re away. [and] visit.

“And we can’t really experience our star’s atmosphere unless we fly through it.”

The Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018, heading toward the center of our solar system.

It had already passed the Sun 21 times, coming very close, but the Christmas Eve visit broke the record.

At its closest approach, the probe was 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from the surface of our star.

That may not sound that close, but Dr. Fox has it straight. “We’re 93 million miles from the Sun, so if I separate the Sun from the Earth by one meter, the Parker Solar Probe is 4cm from the Sun – so it’s close.”

The probe withstands temperatures of 1,400C and radiation that could interfere with on-board electronics.

It was protected by an 11.5cm (4.5in) carbon composite shield, but the spacecraft’s trick was to get in and out quickly.

In fact, it went faster than any man-made object, hurtling at 430,000mph – the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.

Parker’s speed came from the massive gravitational pull he felt falling toward the Sun.

So why did you go to all this effort to “touch” the Sun?

Scientists hope that as the spacecraft passes through our star’s atmosphere – its corona – it will gather information that will solve a long-standing mystery.

“The corona is really hot, and we don’t know why,” explains Dr Jenifer Millard, an astrophysicist at Fifth Star Labs in Wales.

“The surface of the Sun is about 6,000C or more, but the corona, this solid outer atmosphere that you can see during a solar eclipse, is up to millions of degrees – and that’s far from the Sun. So how is this atmosphere so hot?”

The mission should also help scientists better understand the solar wind – the continuous stream of charged particles that emanate from the corona.

When these particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field the sky lights up with brilliant auroras.

But this so-called space weather can cause problems as well, taking out electrical grids, electronics and communication systems.

“Understanding the Sun, its activity, the atmospheric climate, the solar wind, is very important to our daily life on Earth,” said Dr. Millard.

Nasa scientists face an anxious wait for Christmas while the spacecraft is no longer with Earth.

Dr. Fox expected the team to send him a message with a green heart to let him know that the investigation was ready soon after the signal was announced at home.

He previously admitted that he was nervous about the effort, but he had faith in the investigation.

“I’m going to worry about the spacecraft. But we really designed it to withstand all these harsh and brutal conditions. It’s a tough, tough spacecraft.”