Tracing the origin of the solar wind
Although this distance may still seem quite significant, Nicola Fox, responsible at NASA, reminded the BBC that the Earth is located 93 million kilometers from the sun. For comparison, if we placed ourselves one meter from the Sun, the Parker probe would be only four centimeters from its burning star.
Hera mission to defend the planet against asteroids: UCLouvain involved
According to NASA, the probe is protected from extreme conditions thanks to an 11 cm thick carbon composite casing, allowing it to withstand temperatures of up to 1,377°C.
“This close study of the Sun allows Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scientists better understand how matter in this region is heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of the solar wind (a continuous flow of material escaping from the Sun) and to discover how energetic particles are accelerated to a speed close to that of light”, writes the American space agency.
