NASA is celebrating the confirmation of the sun exploration spacecraft that it is still alive

The Parker Solar Probe survived its close approach to the Sun, resuming communication with its mission operations team a few days after its flyby.

NASA’s solar probe sent a beacon tone to Earth shortly before midnight Thursday, indicating that the spacecraft is healthy and operating normally, the US space agency said. books In blog update. The Parker Solar Probe was quiet as it approached its closest approach On Tuesday, an expected communications blackout means the mission operations team won’t know whether the spacecraft survived its daring Christmas Eve feat.

The team can now feel comfortable knowing that The most difficult task It was successful. During its closest approach, the Parker Solar Probe came within just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km) of the Sun’s surface. From that distance, the Solar Probe broke its own record for closest approach to the Sun by a spacecraft. For perspective, Earth is 93 million miles (149 million kilometers) from our host star, nearly 25 times farther from the sun than Parker was on Tuesday.

During its closest approach, the spacecraft was traveling at a record speed of 430,000 mph (692,000 km/h), making it the fastest man-made object ever to travel. As the probe approached the burning ball of plasma, it withstood temperatures of about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (982.2 degrees Celsius). Because Parker is so close to the sun, it also needs extra thickness Heat shield In order to survive the scorching temperatures.

The mission is expected to send back detailed telemetry data regarding its status on January 1, 2025, according to NASA. “This close study of the Sun allows the Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scientists better understand how material in this region is heated to millions of degrees, and trace the origin of the solar wind (a continuous flow of material escaping from the Sun).” He discovered how energetic particles accelerate to a speed close to the speed of light Blog update. “Previous close passes have helped scientists pinpoint the origins of structures in the solar wind and map the outer limits of the Sun’s atmosphere.”

The Parker Solar Probe was launched in August 2018 on a mission to touch the Sun. Before Tuesday’s record-breaking encounter with the star, the spacecraft made 21 close approaches to the sun, coming within 4.51 million miles (7.26 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface. With each approach, the solar probe slowly moved closer to the sun’s surface. In November, the Parker Solar Probe carried out its mission The seventh and final trip to Venuspreparing it for its closest approach yet.

This week’s flyby is the first of three close approaches to the Sun made at the same distance. Each solar encounter feeds the mission with precious data about our host star, which can elucidate the complex physics of our star and the way its dynamical phenomena occur — starting with its dynamical phenomena. Explosive explosions she has winds– Affects the rest of the solar system.