The solar probe of NASA has completed a new sun. What does he hope to find out about scientists
Solar probe Parker Photo: Ho / AFP / Profimedia
The solar probe Parker, belonging to NASA, has successfully concluded the second Sun Survot, according to an announcement made by the American space agency, reports Live Science on Friday, quoted by Agerpres.
The probe of the size of a car passed 6.1 million kilometers from the solar area with a speed of 692,000 kilometers per hour.
During this surprise period, which took place on March 22, the Solar Parker probe operated on the four scheduled scientific tools to gather scientific data related to the solar wind inside the solar crown – the outer layer of the sun atmosphere. On March 25, the probe sent a signal to the ground that announced that all its systems operate normally, according to the NASA statement.
“The surprise, the second product at this distance and at this speed, allows the probe to carry out scientific measurements without a rival of the solar wind and the phenomena related to it,” the statement said.
Scientists hope that the collected data will contribute to increasing the ability to predict space weather and will answer a series of questions about our star, as is the one about Corona which is hundreds of times hotter than the surface of the Sun.
“This mission will rewrite the textbooks on solar science by reaching a place where no other human-built object could reach,” said NASA interim administrator, Janet Petro.
The Parker probe was able to approach so much to the sun due to its exceptional thermal shield, which allows electronic equipment and tools inside the probe to operate at room temperature, even when they are directed directly to the sun to collect data.
As a recognition of the merits of this specially designed system of thermal protection, the team of the Parker mission – of which engineers and scientists from NASA, from the John Hopkins physics laboratory in Maryland and from 40 other US partner organizations – received the Robert J. Collier Trophy prize from the National Aeronautic Association in 2024.
“This wonderful team has brought to life an incredibly difficult spatial mission, which was thought to be impossible for more than 60 years,” said Ralph Semme, director of the Johns Hopkins physics laboratory in Maryland. “They did this by solving many old technological problems and managing to propel before the spatial capabilities of our nation,” he added.
The Solar Parker probe, which was launched in 2018, is about to carry out a Solar Survo on June 19, at about the same distance from the Sun and with almost the same speed, notes Live Science.
