A NASA spacecraft has survived a close encounter with the sun. Early this morning, the Parker Solar Probe reestablished contact with Earth, confirming it withstood the journey.
The scientific data collected by the probe will be transmitted in the new year. The probe approached the sun to within 6.1 million kilometers, passing through the corona.
No human-made object has ever been closer. The previous record was held by the Helios probe since 1976, which reached 42 million kilometers.
For comparison, Earth is about 150 million kilometers from the sun. During its journey, the probe faced temperatures up to a thousand degrees Celsius and extreme radiation levels that could have been lethal for its instruments.
On Christmas Eve, Parker entered this region at a speed of 692,000 kilometers per hour, setting the record for the fastest human-made object. NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe in 2018, and it has since orbited Venus, moving closer to the sun.
Scientists hope this mission will provide insights into the sun’s workings, the corona’s processes, and solar wind formation. While orbiting Venus, the probe also gathered information about the planet, allowing scientists to see through its thick clouds using infrared light.
Source: NOS