In 2024, NASA will conquer one of the significant milestones in humanity’s journey of space exploration.
For us, aside from Earth, the magnificent star at the center of the Solar System is arguably the most important entity, as it plays a crucial role in providing light, ensuring the continuity of life.
This is precisely why NASA places high hopes on missions to explore the Sun, as it will bring insights into the history of the universe’s formation, as well as the distant future of humanity.
Artist’s impression of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft launched in 2018. (Image: WIRED)
It is known that the Parker Solar Probe from NASA is scheduled to approach the Sun’s atmosphere at a close distance this year, amidst a growing number of space exploration activities occurring worldwide.
Expectedly, the Parker Probe will fly past the Sun at a speed of 195 km/s on December 24. NASA describes this as a “touch the Sun” mission, with the goal of collecting the first samples from the atmosphere of a still-active star.
“Essentially, we are almost going to land on a star,” shared Nour Raouafi, the project scientist. He affirmed that this would be a monumental achievement for humanity, comparable to the American moon landing in 1969.
Dr. Nicky Fox, head of NASA’s science division, stated that this mission aims to provide deeper insights into the Sun, using the Parker spacecraft as it approaches the giant star’s surface closer than any previous instruments.
The mission also contributes significantly to forecasting changes in the space environment that affect life and technology on Earth.
However, this is no small challenge, as the Parker Probe will face extreme temperatures and radiation throughout its journey. Just a minor error could jeopardize the mission.
According to NASA, the corona – the Sun’s thin outer atmosphere – has extremely high temperatures, reaching about 1.1 million degrees Celsius. This number is approximately 200 times that of the Sun’s surface, and the reasons behind this phenomenon remain unclear.
Another threat comes from solar storms that may occur when the Sun is more active. At this point, the magnetic field of the atmosphere will shake and cause severe disruptions, potentially paralyzing communications between the probe and stations on Earth.
