The Parker Solar Probe is a NASA mission designed to study the Sun by flying closer to it than any other spacecraft before. Launched in 2018, the probe has been making record-breaking approaches to the Sun, surviving extreme heat and radiation to gather invaluable scientific data.

Parker Solar Probe

The Parker Solar Probe’s mission is to increase our understanding of the Sun’s corona and solar wind. By flying through the Sun’s atmosphere, it will be able to take measurements that help scientists understand how the corona gets so hot, the origin of the solar wind, and how energetic particles are accelerated to high speeds. This will improve our ability to forecast space weather, which affects technology on Earth and in space.

Record-Breaking Encounters

On 24 December 2024, the Parker Solar Probe achieved its closest approach to the Sun, flying just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) above the solar surface. This broke its own previous record. During this pass, it hurtled through the solar atmosphere at an incredible speed of 430,000 miles per hour (690,000 km/h). This makes it the fastest human-made object ever. By comparison, during a perihelion on 27 September 2023, the spacecraft traveled at 394,736 miles per hour (176.5 km/s).

How Does it Survive?

The Parker Solar Probe is protected from the Sun’s extreme conditions by a 4.5-inch thick carbon-composite shield. This shield is designed to withstand temperatures of nearly 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,377 Celsius). The shield keeps the spacecraft’s instruments at a comfortable 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). The spacecraft uses a dual system of solar panels for power, with a primary array that retracts during close solar approaches and a secondary array that uses fluid cooling to maintain operating temperature. The probe is highly autonomous, using light sensors to detect when it needs to reposition within the shield’s shadow.

Scientific Instruments

The Parker Solar Probe has four instrument suites to study the Sun’s magnetic fields, plasma, and energetic particles. These include:

  • FIELDS: Measures the scale and shape of electric and magnetic fields in the Sun’s atmosphere, detecting waves and turbulence.
  • IS☉IS: Measures electrons, protons, and ions, helping to understand their life cycles.
  • WISPR: Uses two telescopes to acquire images of the corona and inner heliosphere.
  • SWEAP: Counts electrons, protons, and helium ions, measuring their properties like velocity, density, and temperature.

Key Discoveries

The Parker Solar Probe has already made several important discoveries, including:

  • Magnetic Switchbacks: Observations of sudden reversals in the direction of the magnetic field carried by the solar wind, which contribute to heating the solar corona.
  • The Outer Boundary of the Corona: The probe found that the outer boundary of the corona is wrinkled with spikes and valleys.
  • Origin of Switchbacks: Pinpointed the origin of switchbacks to the Sun’s photosphere.
  • Cosmic Dust-Free Zone: Discovered a zone with a 3.5 million mile radius from the sun that is free of cosmic dust.
  • First Touch of the Sun: In 2021, the probe flew through the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona, sampling particles and magnetic fields there.

The Parker Solar Probe continues to make observations and collect data as it orbits the Sun. The next planned close solar passes are scheduled for March 22, 2025, and June 19, 2025. The data gathered will provide fresh insights into our Sun and its impact on the solar system.

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