NASA Reveals How Its Revolutionary Solar Probe Parker "Will Hit the Sun"

The Parker Solar Probe is not only one of NASA's most ambitious missions, but it seems to defy logic. The spacecraft planned for launch this summer will enter the sun's crown and travel through the material with temperatures exceeding one million degrees Fahrenheit. So why will not he melt?

Parker Solar Probe will embark on August 4 on what NASA calls "a 60-year mission being made", less than four million kilometers from the surface. or outside atmosphere. If successful, it will become the first spaceship to enter the sun's crown and enjoy a mild indoor temperature of only 85 degrees while its outer shell surrounds in the sun's fire. The probe will essentially be the incarnation of the dog "it's beautiful".

Parker Solar Probe illustration surrounding the sun.

NASA has revealed the science behind why this space dog will not melt in such an extreme environment on Thursday. To understand why the Parker solar probe will not melt, the space agency explained key concepts of heat versus temperature, its custom heat shield and the unique innovation of the spacecraft

The heat and temperature will help make the Parker Solar Probe mission a little more (but not much) more feasible. Temperature is a measure of the speed at which particles move, while heat is the amount of that energy transferred. So, in a place that is usually empty like space, high temperatures do not always mean high heat. The particles can move quickly and create a high temperature, but as there are so few, they will not transfer as much heat to the spacecraft.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "While Parker Solar Probe will travel through a space with temperatures of several million degrees, it will have won & # 39; I feel most of this heat and the surface of the heat shield reaches only 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. "data-reactid =" 24 "> While Parker Solar Probe will cross a space with temperatures of several million degrees, it will not feel much of this heat, and the surface of the 39; heat shield will only reach 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit

Parker Solar Probe Heat Shield

It's still pretty hot, though. The experience of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit is not a trivial matter, and ensuring an unmelted Parker solar sensor may have caused delays in launch planning. To withstand the heat, NASA has installed a shield known as the Thermal Protection System or TPS

Designed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the TPS is comprised of a carbon foam core lightweight flanked by two carbon-carbon composite panels. The sun-oriented panel is sprayed with a white coating that will reflect as much of the sun's energy as possible from the spacecraft. It is only 4.5 inches thick, yet it should keep almost all instrumentation safe

Parker Solar Probe Measuring Cup

However, not all instruments will not be protected by the GST. The Faraday cup is a sensor that will point to the heat shield to measure the solar wind, and to get an accurate reading, it can not be protected by TPS

So why does not Faraday melt? 19659013] "Due to the intensity of the solar atmosphere, unique technologies had to be designed to ensure that the instrument could not only survive, but also that on-board electronics could send back accurate readings, "says Susannah Darling. The cup is made of titanium-zirconium-molybdenum sheets, a molybdenum alloy, which gives it a melting point of about 4,260 degrees Fahrenheit. The chips that produce an electric field for the Faraday cup are made of tungsten, the metal with the highest melting point known. With a threshold of 6192 degrees Fahrenheit before melting, Faraday has the room to maneuver to collect solar wind data.

After its launch on August 4, Parker Solar Probe will use Venus gravitational pull to reduce its orbit around the sun. These overflights will take about seven years, which will eventually bring the spacecraft closer to 3.7 million miles from the center of the solar system. Its last loop in the sun's crown is expected towards the end of 2024. But thanks to this series of innovative technologies, it should stay cool all the time.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = " Photos via NASA ] "data-reactid =" 33 "> Photos via NASA

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