Solar Probe Plus

Let's wait and see if it survives the orbit, it will be good if it does. Also good to see what science it brings from the Sun's other side that we cannot usulally see.
 

Wow. Some people on this planet will have one heck of an exciting Christmas eve ! Barely six million kilometers from the inferno, at 700000 km per hour ?
I have this sneaking suspicion it won't be a snowy Christmas, for that probe...
:D:D:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

 
From the BBC:


A Nasa spacecraft is attempting to make history with the closest-ever approach to the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe is plunging into our star's outer atmosphere to try and help us better understand how the Sun works.
It is out of communication for several days and scientists will be waiting for a signal, expected at 05:00 GMT on 28 December, to see if it has survived.
 
That is longer than I was thinking for Parker Solar Probe to be out of comunication with Earth NMaude, I really wish it well and would like it to survive the journey.
 
I cannot wait until the first science gets sent back and revealed. So what happens to the Parker Solar Probe now?
 
Parker Solar Probe Primed for Next Close Solar Approach [Mar 21]

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is zooming through its 23rd science-gathering solar encounter, heading toward a close approach of the Sun on Saturday, March 22, that matches its record distance of 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from the solar surface.

The spacecraft will also equal its record-setting flyby speed of 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 kilometers per hour) — a mark that, like the distance, was set during its latest close approach on Dec. 24.

The mission’s four scientific investigations are again prepared to collect unique observations from inside the Sun’s corona. The spacecraft was operating normally when it last checked in with mission operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland — where it was also designed and built — on March 16. Parker will be out of contact with Earth and operating autonomously during closest approach this weekend and is scheduled to transmit data on its status to mission controllers on Tuesday, March 25.

The flyby, as the second several at this distance and speed, is allowing the spacecraft to conduct unrivaled scientific measurements of the solar wind and related activity. At the same time, scientists continue to dig into the data still streaming back from the December closest approach.
 
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Completes 23rd Close Approach to Sun [Mar 25]

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 23rd close approach to the Sun on March 22, equaling its own distance record by coming within about 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) of the solar surface

The close approach (known as perihelion) occurred at 22:42 UTC — or 6:42 p.m. EDT — with Parker Solar Probe moving 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 kilometers per hour) around the Sun, again matching its own record. The spacecraft checked in on Tuesday with mission operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland — where the spacecraft was also designed and built — with a beacon tone indicating it was in good health and all systems were operating normally.

Perihelion marked the midpoint in the mission’s 23rd solar encounter, which began March 18 and runs through Thursday, March 27. The flyby, the second at this distance and speed, allows the spacecraft to conduct unrivaled scientific measurements of the solar wind and related activity.
 
View: https://x.com/ExploreCosmos_/status/1907277529360044410


NASA's Parker Solar Probe has once again achieved a record-setting close approach to the Sun, matching its previous milestone from December 2024. On March 22, 2025, the probe came within approximately 6.1 million kilometers (3.8 million miles) of the Sun's surface, traveling at a remarkable speed of 192 kilometers per second (about 430,000 miles per hour).

This daring maneuver brought Parker deep into the Sun's corona, the outer atmosphere, where temperatures soar to millions of degrees. The probe's heat shield successfully protected it from these extreme conditions, allowing it to collect valuable data on solar winds and magnetic fields.

Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe's mission involves progressively closer orbits around the Sun to enhance our understanding of stellar phenomena. The March 22 flyby marked its 23rd close approach. Future perihelions are scheduled for June 19, September 15, and December 12, 2025.
 

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