NASA’s Parker Solar Probe set to make historic pass by the Sun on December 24, 2024
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, launched on August 12, 2018, is set to make a historic pass by the Sun this year, marking a major milestone in space exploration.
According to the BBC, the probe is due to fly past the Sun at a staggering speed of 195 km/s, or 435,000 mph on December 24, 2024.
Described as a mission to “touch the Sun” on NASA’s website, the Parker Solar Probe aims to provide the first-ever sampling of a star’s atmosphere.
“We are basically almost landing on a star,” said Nour Raouafi, a scientist on the project, in an interview with the BBC. “This will be a monumental achievement for all humanity. This is equivalent to the Moon landing of 1969.”
The mission aims to help scientists gain a deeper understanding of the Sun, with the probe orbiting closer to the Sun’s surface than any spacecraft before and within Mercury’s orbit.
The probe will gather measurements and images to help scientists learn more about where solar wind comes from and how it is evolving, as well as make critical contributions to forecasting changes in the space environment that affect life and technology on Earth.
The mission will not be without its challenges, as the probe will face extreme heat and radiation on its journey, flying “more than seven times closer to the Sun than any spacecraft.”
Dr. Nicky Fox, NASA’s head of science, told the BBC that they “don’t know” what they’ll find in the mission, “but we’ll be looking for waves in the solar wind associated with the heating.”
“I suspect we’ll sense lots of different types of waves which would point to a mix of processes that people have been arguing over for years,” she added.
The Parker Solar Probe’s upcoming pass by the Sun is a momentous occasion for space exploration, and it holds the promise of unlocking new insights into our closest star.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.