NASA Prepares for ‘Touching the Sun’ in 2024 NASA’s
Parker Solar Probe, launched on August 12, 2018, is embarking on a unique challenge in the history of space exploration.
This unprecedented event will occur when the probe approaches the surface of the Sun on December 24, 2024, at a speed of up to 195 kilometers per second.
NASA describes the mission as the ‘Touch the Sun’ mission, aiming to obtain the ‘very first sample from the star’s atmosphere.’
Scientists suggest that this anticipated achievement is comparable to the monumental moon landing in 1969.
The mission seeks to enhance our understanding of the Sun by collecting probe measurements and images as it gets extremely close to the Sun’s surface within Mercury’s orbit.
The probe will gather data about the source and evolution of solar winds, contributing to predicting changes in the space environment that affect life and technology on Earth.
The probe’s journey will pose a real challenge as it faces extreme heat and radiation. It is expected that the probe will ‘come closer to the Sun more than 7 times than any spacecraft.’
NASA‘s Chief Scientist, Dr. Nicky Fox, says, ‘We don’t know exactly what we will find there, but we will be looking for waves in the solar winds associated with heating.’
