NASA spacecraft 'touches' the sun, enters corona

[UltraMega]

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The probe flew through the corona in April during the spacecraft’s eighth close approach to the sun. Scientists said it took a few months to get the data back, and then several more months to confirm.

The mission "is a monumental moment for solar science and a truly remarkable feat," said NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen.
 

At closest approach to the sun, the front of the probe's solar shield endured temperatures approaching 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. (~1600 Kelvin)

 

"Not only does this milestone provide us with deeper insights into our sun's evolution and its impacts on our solar system, but everything we learn about our own star also teaches us more about stars in the rest of the universe," Zurbuchen said in a statement. 

 

The $1.6-billion mission also aims to improve forecasts of major space weather events that impact life on Earth, as well as astronauts in space, NASA said. Space weather can change the orbits of satellites, shorten their lifetimes or interfere with onboard electronics.

 

As it circles closer to the solar surface, Parker is making new discoveries that other spacecraft were too far away to see, including from within the solar wind – the flow of particles from the sun that can influence us here on Earth. 

 

Parker will keep drawing ever closer to the sun and diving deeper into the corona until its grand finale orbit in 2025.

NASA spacecraft 'touches' the sun for first time in 'monumental moment for solar science'

WWW.MSN.COM

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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has flown through the sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there.

For some reason this reminds me a lot of the TNG episode where Worf's brother takes outs some opposing Klingons by flying really close to a star and causing it to shoot out some kind of burst. One could argue he knew his stuff about star coronas... 
 

[Avacado]

This is really cool stuff. 

[ENTERPRISE]

On 15/12/2021 at 22:39, UltraMega said:

NASA spacecraft 'touches' the sun for first time in 'monumental moment for solar science'

WWW.MSN.COM

---

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has flown through the sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there.

For some reason this reminds me a lot of the TNG episode where Worf's brother takes outs some opposing Klingons by flying really close to a star and causing it to shoot out some kind of burst. One could argue he knew his stuff about star coronas... 
 

It was a good episode. It honestly however is amazing we have developed something to withstand the heat and forces of the sun.  When I was a young kid, I wondered when it would happen...it was never an if as I have found, if we can imagine it, we can make it happen. For better or worse.