NASA is planning to launch a new probe on August 11, 2018. In the past, most of the space agency’s probes have headed to nearby planets, such as Mars. This probe, however, is going somewhere different: the sun.
Dubbed the Parker Solar Probe, NASA’s new probe will travel closer to the sun that any other probe has in the past. Some reports suggest that it will come seven times closer to the sun, thereby providing NASA with invaluable data about the sun’s composition. NASA says that once the probe reaches its intended destination, it will collect data on the sun’s corona, atmosphere and temperatures.
One of the biggest questions burning in researchers’ minds is why the sun’s solar corona is so hot. On the surface, the sun’s temperatures hover around 6,000 degrees Celsius. When you go deeper into the corona, however, temperatures can reach millions of degrees Celsius. This has stumped many NASA researchers who struggle to understand why the sun’s corona is so much hotter than its surface. And while the Parker Solar Probe may fail to directly answer this question, it will provide NASA with insight into the sun’s atmosphere at a level that hasn’t been possible in the past.
Of course, designing the Parker Solar Probe was a feat in itself. Because it’s headed straight to the sun, it will naturally be exposed to hot temperatures — temperatures that would otherwise cook previously manufactured probes. To withstand this heat, NASA designed with Parker Solar Probe with a thick heat-resistant shield. According to NASA, the probe features 4.5-inch thick layer of composite material on the outside, thereby allowing it to withstand temperatures of up to 1,371 degrees Celsius.
Although the Parker Solar Probe will fly closer to the sun than any previous probe in the past, it won’t exactly “touch the sun.” The probe’s target destination is about 3.8 million miles away from the sun. Even at this distance, though, it will be exposed to extreme heat. Assuming the probe’s heat shield remains intact, this head shouldn’t interfere with its mission objectives.
“The 45-minute launch window will open at 3:48 a.m. EDT. During final inspections following the encapsulation of the spacecraft, a small strip of foam was found inside the fairing and additional time is needed for inspection,” wrote NASA on its official website.
The spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy from the Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex in Florida.
