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The Parker Solar Probe space probe will “touch” the Sun on Tuesday. Both the fastest and closest object to our star ever made by humans will bring back data from as yet unexplored territory.
It is the first man-made object to come this close to our star. On December 24, the Parker Solar Robe probe will brush close to the Sun at a distance of only 6.1 million kilometers, NASA announced in a press release.
If this distance from the Sun seems respectable, know that the solar corona (which we can see during an eclipse for example), extends over more than 10 million kilometers around our star. At this distance, the temperature at the front of the spacecraft is expected to reach 1,400°C. Not to mention that it will be directly subjected to solar radiation, particles which are deadly for humans.
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Solar Orbiter, Parker Solar Probe: these probes which try to unravel the mysteries of the Sun
“No man-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker is truly going to bring back data from unexplored territory,” said Nick Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at the laboratory. in Applied Physics Johns Hopkins (APL) in Maryland. Traveling at a phenomenal speed of 690,000 km/hour, it's also the fastest ship we've ever made.
Silence radio
Then a “long” wait begins. Because when it approaches as close as possible to our star – also called perihelion, as close as possible to the sun – contact with the space probe will be cut. Scientists will therefore have to wait three days, until December 27, to be assured of the success of the information collection. “Parker will truly bring back data from uncharted territory,” confirms Nick Pinkine.
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The Parker Solar Probe has already spent a year around the Sun
Why did the American space agency send the probe into such a hostile environment in 2018? To better understand how solar storms work, which constantly eject energy particles in all directions. As well as how these affect our electrical installations on Earth.
Tech
France
