NASA announces record-breaking achievement with spacecraft and the Sun

Dec 27, 2024

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Craig Nigrelli Anchor

By Craig Nigrelli (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Ian Kennedy (Video Editor)

A NASA spacecraft has made history, surviving the closest-ever approach to the Sun. The risky journey took the Parker Solar Probe just 3.8 million miles from the Sun’s surface. That may not sound like a short distance, but for perspective, if the distance from Earth to the Sun was a football field, this would be the 4-yard-line. The Earth is approximately 93 million miles from the Sun.

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The NASA spacecraft traveled seven times closer to the Sun than any other earthly spacecraft to date.

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Protected by a thermal protection system and 8-foot shield weighing around 160 pounds and speeding toward the big yellow giant at 430,000 miles per hour, the probe took on temperatures of more than 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

The spacecraft reportedly went out of communication for several days until NASA received a signal just before midnight on Thursday, Dec. 26.

Afterward, the space agency announced the probe is “safe” and operating as it should after the record-shattering fly-by.

Scientists hope the data, expected to be sent back on Wednesday, Jan. 1, gives them insight into the mystery of why the corona of the Sun, the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, is so much hotter than the surface.

The surface of the Sun is reportedly nearly 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit, while the corona burns at millions of degrees and scientists don’t know why.

Researchers also said that the mission should give them a better understanding of solar wind, which can knock out power grids and communications on Earth at times.

“Understanding the Sun, its activity, space weather, the solar wind, is so important to our everyday lives on Earth,” Dr. Jenifer Millard, an astronomer, told the BBC.

Tags: Aerospace, Earth, NASA, Space Technology, Tech, Technology

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

A NASA SPACECRAFT MAKING HISTORY.

SURVIVING THE CLOSEST-EVER APPROACH TO THE SUN.

THE RISKY JOURNEY TOOK THE PARKER SOLAR PROBE JUST THREE-POINT-EIGHT MILLION MILES FROM THE SUN’S SURFACE.

IT MAY NOT SOUND LIKE A SHORT DISTANCE, BUT FOR PERSPECTIVE, IF THE DISTANCE FROM EARTH TO THE SUN WAS A FOOTBALL FIELD – THIS WOULD BE ABOUT THE 4-YARD LINE.

IT’S ALSO SEVEN TIMES CLOSER THAN ANY OTHER EARTHLY SPACECRAFT HAS VENTURED NEAR THE SUN.

SPEEDING TOWARD THE SUN AT 430-THOUSAND MILES PER HOUR THE PROBE TOOK ON TEMPERATURES OF MORE THAN 25-HUNDRED DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

PROTECTED BY A THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM AND AN EIGHT FOOT SHIELD WEIGHING AROUND 160 POUNDS, THE SPACECRAFT WENT OUT OF COMMUNICATION FOR SEVERAL DAYS, UNTIL NASA RECEIVED A SIGNAL JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT THURSDAY.

NASA ANNOUNCING, THE PROBE IS “SAFE” AND OPERATING AS IT SHOULD AFTER THE RECORD-SHATTERING FLY-BY.

SCIENTISTS HOPE THE DATA, EXPECTED TO BE SENT BACK ON JANUARY FIRST, GIVES THEM INSIGHT INTO THE MYSTERY OF WHY THE CORONA OF THE SUN IS SO MUCH HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE.

THE SURFACE OF THE SUN IS NEARLY 11-THOUSAND DEGREES FAHRENHEIT WHILE THE CORONA BURNS AT MILLIONS OF DEGREES AND SCIENTISTS DON’T KNOW WHY.

RESEARCHERS ALSO SAY THE MISSION SHOULD GIVE THEM A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SOLAR WIND, WHICH CAN KNOCK OUT POWER GRIDS AND COMMUNICATIONS ON EARTH AT TIMES.

ONE RESEARCHER SAYING, “UNDERSTANDING THE SUN, ITS ACTIVITY, SPACE WEATHER, THE SOLAR WIND, IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR EVERYDAY LIVES ON EARTH.”

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI.