Martha Kehagias
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has made a historic leap in space exploration, breaking a record on December 24, 2024, by flying closer to the Sun than any spacecraft ever before. The probe, launched in 2018, passed just 3.8 million miles from the Sun’s surface—an unprecedented distance. This mission isn’t just a triumph in space; it holds vital implications for life here on Earth and beyond.
So, why should you care about a spacecraft flying to the Sun? The answer is simple: the Sun has a direct impact on the technology we use every day. Solar flares and solar wind—streams of charged particles released from the Sun—can disrupt satellites, GPS systems, power grids, and communications. By understanding these solar phenomena better, NASA can help us predict and mitigate their effects, keeping our technology safe.
The Parker Solar Probe’s mission is a testament to human ingenuity. Traveling at an incredible speed of 430,000 miles per hour—faster than any human-made object—the spacecraft passed through the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, where temperatures exceed 1 million degrees Fahrenheit. To survive this extreme heat, the probe is equipped with a carbon foam shield that can withstand temperatures up to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping the probe’s instruments cool.
This daring journey is made possible by the spacecraft’s carefully planned orbit. Over six years, Parker used seven flybys of Venus to gradually shift its trajectory closer to the Sun. Each time the spacecraft gets closer, it takes measurements that give scientists a clearer picture of solar behavior—information that could help us protect our technology on Earth.
Understanding the Sun’s behavior is crucial for safeguarding our technology. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can damage satellites, disrupt communications, and even cause power outages. By studying the Sun’s atmosphere and solar wind up close, NASA hopes to predict and minimize the impact of these events.
But there’s more. The Parker Solar Probe is also helping scientists unlock secrets about stars—knowledge that could one day aid in the search for habitable planets beyond our solar system. The Sun is the closest star to us, and by understanding how it works, we can learn more about the nature of stars in general and the conditions that might support life elsewhere.
In its previous encounters, Parker has already uncovered surprising details about the Sun. For instance, during a pass in 2021, it discovered that the corona’s outer edge isn’t smooth, as scientists expected, but wrinkled with spikes and valleys. The probe also traced the origin of “switchbacks”—mysterious zig-zag patterns in the solar wind—back to the Sun’s surface.
The spacecraft’s close-up measurements are offering a new perspective on solar wind, a constant stream of particles that flows outward from the Sun. Understanding how this wind accelerates is critical, as it impacts everything from space weather to the health of astronauts traveling beyond Earth’s protective atmosphere.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is ushering in a new era of space exploration. This mission is helping us unlock the deepest mysteries of the Sun, and with every pass, we get closer to understanding the workings of our star. So far, Parker has also made surprising discoveries about Venus and coronal mass ejections, which send massive bursts of solar material into space.
The next close passes of the Sun are set for March and June 2025, and with each one, the spacecraft will continue to gather data that could revolutionize our understanding of the Sun and its impact on the solar system.
While it may seem distant, this mission is shaping the future of space exploration and technology. The knowledge we gain from Parker’s journey could protect our technology, open up new frontiers in space exploration, and perhaps even help us find new worlds beyond our own. The Sun may be far away, but its influence is felt everywhere, and understanding it is more important than ever.
With information from NASA: science.nasa.gov
