NASA probe survives closest-ever encounter with the sun

The Parker Solar Probe completed the closest approach to the sun ever attempted by a probe, according to a Friday statement from NASA. The spacecraft on Thursday came within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface while traveling 430,000 miles per hour. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory on Tuesday lost contact with the probe during the maneuver but regained contact on Thursday. The craft was in good condition and operating normally after the flyby, NASA said.

The probe in 2018 became the first spacecraft to enter the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere that can be seen during a solar eclipse.

What was the goal of the flyby? The probe is expected to send detailed data home on Jan. 1. Data collected by the probe will be used to help scientists better understand how material in the area is heated to millions of degrees. The information will also help researchers trace the origin of solar wind and explore how its energetic particles are accelerated to near the speed of light. Other missions completed by the craft have helped scientists map the outer boundary of the Sun’s atmosphere.

Dig deeper: Listen to Bonnie Pritchett’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about how NASA researchers are preparing to send astronauts to Mars.