NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is 2-for-2 on close flybys of the Sun. This accomplishment represents a monumental breakthrough in the world of solar research. On Tuesday, March 25, the car-sized spacecraft transmitted a special beacon tone back to Earth. This attested to its robust health, and all systems were go after it made its first-ever swoop within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the Sun’s surface.
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe flies autonomously during its close approach. It’s equipped with four cutting-edge science instruments to collect unprecedented data on solar wind from within the Sun’s corona. The probe was flying with a mind-boggling velocity of 430,000 miles per hour or 692,000 kilometers per hour. That incredible speed equals the all-time record it set on its initial flyby—on Christmas Eve of last year.
The Parker Solar Probe’s next flyby, the seventh of its planned 24, will occur on June 19 of this year. It will collect extreme close-up data for the first time that is crucial to predicting space weather. With their spacecraft now in orbit, scientists are excited to solve decades-old mysteries about the Sun. They’re keen to understand why its corona is hundreds of times hotter than its surface.
The Parker Solar Probe’s thermal protection system was specifically designed to survive temperatures exceeding 2600 degrees Fahrenheit. This design allows the probe to perform reliably in those extreme environments. The success of this mission is attributed to the dedicated efforts of a team comprising engineers and scientists from NASA, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, and over 40 partner organizations nationwide.
Ralph Semmel, director of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, which is home to the SWRI team, commended the team working on this ambitious project.
“This amazing team brought to life an incredibly difficult space science mission that had been studied, and determined to be impossible, for more than 60 years.” – Ralph Semmel
He pointed out the technological hurdles tackled by the team that have greatly improved the nation’s spaceflight capabilities.
“They did so by solving numerous long-standing technology challenges and dramatically advancing our nation’s spaceflight capabilities.” – Ralph Semmel
Janet Petro, who is the director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, touted the potential of the mission’s innovative research.
“This mission’s trailblazing research is rewriting the textbooks on solar science by going to a place no human-made object has ever been.” – Janet Petro
The recent close flyby opens up new and exciting windows into making detailed scientific measurements of the solar wind and related activity. We expect these discoveries to greatly advance our knowledge of solar phenomena.
