You may remember that NASA launched its new Parker Solar Probe in August to “touch the sun." If you were lucky or smart enough to be in the know about this launch, you may have submitted your name in March or April, along with 1.1 million others, to have it added to a memory card aboard the probe so that you too can touch the sun.
Unfortunately, I was neither lucky nor smart, so my name remains here on this rocky planet.
As it speeds through deep space, it has just broken the record for the closest spacecraft to the sun. In November, it will begin collecting data as it makes its first fly-by.
The Parker Solar Probe, at its closest, will be just 3.8 million miles from the sun’s surface. Mercury never gets closer than 28.5 million miles. This means that the probe will experience insane radiation, protecting itself with a large, thick heat shield that will keep the instruments in its shadow.
What is interesting about the mission is the fact that the scientists originally thought that it could only be successful by passing Jupiter — this would have permitted only two solar passes. However, by redesigning the mission to involve several assists by Venus instead of a single assist by Jupiter, NASA’s scientists will achieve 24 solar passes, which means much more data.
Because the probe will have to make adjustments on the fly, it cannot always depend on instructions sent from Earth — instead, it uses sensors to determine where it is in relation to the sun and adjusts automatically. Once it is oriented properly, the instruments will function seamlessly, picking up particles and detecting the sun’s magnetic and electric fields.
This probe is a really big deal.
There are two big questions that the Parker Solar Probe will help scientists answer. One is the so-called coronal heating problem. Oddly enough, the sun’s corona, its outermost layer, is actually millions of times hotter than the center, which seems like a contradiction. After all, if you moved farther and farther away from a campfire, you wouldn’t expect to get warmer.
Why this phenomenon occurs is still unknown, although scientists have at least two theories. One possibility is that the energy comes from waves generated by the sun’s plasma. Another is that the heat could be a result of electric currents induced by the sun’s magnetic field.
Right now, it’s hard to say. The Parker Solar Probe will provide newer, more detailed numbers on the sun’s magnetic and electric fields, as well as its composition, that will allow scientists either to confirm one of the current theories or to develop new ones.
The other big question has to do with solar wind, which refers to the charged particles constantly emanating from the sun that fill the solar system. Considering the fact that these high-energy particles can cause great damage to the satellites orbiting Earth, it is essential for us to understand their cause.
Additionally, if we want to send manned missions to other planets, we need to know how to protect astronauts during their journey. An improved knowledge of solar wind will help us predict the onset of a solar storm, giving us time to prepare in order to minimize harm and damage to our equipment and ourselves.
In order to do its job properly, the probe will make use of Venus’s gravity to bend its course toward the sun. Having just recently passed Venus, the probe is set to pass through the sun’s corona for the first time and offer a glimpse of this star like we have never seen before.
We have no idea what new things we’re going to learn from this mission, which is what makes it all the more exciting. Lots of cool data will be coming in soon, so be on the lookout for any new reports. It’s going to be big, and it’s going to be beautiful.
