An illustration of the Parker Solar Probe during a very close flyby of the Sun. © Steve Gribben / Johns Hopkins APL / Nasa via AP, file
Ah, Christmas by fire! A beautiful image of Epinal that for many of us represents memories of pine-scented holidays. This kamikaze probe will be heated not in a chimney corner but in the fire of a solar system star, practically melting towards its surface at 700,000 km/h and approaching its surface at a distance of 6 million km. , which has never happened before. So the 22nd Science Study of the Sun flyby will take place on December 24, 2024 at 6:53 AM GMT.
The speed achieved by the Parker Solar Probe is faster than anything designed by humans. © NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
192 km/s, all instruments pointing towards the Sun.
If we compare this with the Voyager 1 and 2 probes, about 17 km/s, the 192 km/s reached by the Parker Solar Probe is truly dizzying. The investigation reached this limit relying on two parameters. The first planet is the gravitational support (or gravitational slingshot effect) of Venus, whose seven flybys in November gave it tremendous acceleration. The second factor is obviously the enormous gravity of the Sun. As space probes sink into our star’s gravitational well, it accelerates. And as it gets closer than ever to our star, it’s accelerating like never before!
Why did this flawed NASA space probe cause so much damage?
It goes without saying that temperatures rise near the Sun, which remember is a giant ball of thermonuclear fusion gas. This is why the Parker Solar Probe, with a launch mass of 685 kg, has a thermal shield that allows it to withstand around 1400 °C. Indeed, a major mission of NASA’s research is to discover why and by what mechanism our star’s corona, a region of gas around the surface, is several million degrees hotter than its surface. A bit like your hand is in less contact with the logs than around the fireplace…
Scientists believe that the Sun’s activity is mainly to blame for its magnetic field and its so-called “lacing” structure. As these structures move, magnetic field reversals occur, releasing large amounts of matter and energy, thus heating the corona.
When the magnetic field suddenly reverses back on itself, a large ejection of material can occur. © SD Bale et al. 2019
The solar corona, clearly visible in this image, was discovered during a solar eclipse. © L. Laveder
