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It illuminates our sky day after day, so that the sun seems familiar to us. But there are many things we do not know yet. That's why NASA launched its Parker Solar Probe–to learn more about how the sun works. This week, the probe broke two records: it flew closer to the sun than any other man-made object, and moved faster than any other man-made object, according to a NASA press release.
The probe, which was launched in August, arrived less than 26.55 million kilometers from the sun on October 29th., at more than 153,454 miles per hour. This broke previous records set in 1976 by the German-American probe Helios 2.
Parker's solar probe will orbit the sun for at least seven years, taking photos and taking measurements of the solar corona – the outer layer of the solar atmosphere – and solar winds to help scientists better understand the "space weather" that affects the Earth.
Engineers have taken great care to design a spacecraft capable of withstanding the hostile environment and speeds necessary for this mission. The probe is exposed to destructive heat – about 2500 degrees Fahrenheit – and radiation when making solar observations, so NASA engineers have equipped it with a state-of-the-art shield. Only 8 feet in diameter and 4.5 inches thick, the small shield is remarkably efficient, keeping the probe at a gentle temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.
This is the first time that the probe approaches the sun (it is about to close 24 in the years to come). Scientists expect to receive data from this first pass in a few weeks – the probe needs to get away from the sun in order to contact it.
As its mission continues, the spacecraft should break its own speed and approach records to the sun: by 2024, it should be within 3.83 million kilometers of the sun, at a speed of about 430 mph. 000 km / hour.
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