JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A milestone in space exploration is just days away as NASA’s Parker Solar Probe prepares for its closest approach to the sun on Dec. 24.
The spacecraft, which launched in 2018, is set to increase our understanding of our star also known as the sun. To discuss this mission, First Coast News spoke with Dr. Nour Rawafi, a NASA scientist involved in the project.
“For the first time in history,” Rawafi noted, “we have a spacecraft flying closer to the sun than ever before. This is something scientists have dreamed about since 1958. It took over six decades to develop the technology capable of withstanding the sun’s harsh environment, and now, we’re just days away from making history.”
Drawing a parallel to a past moment in space exploration, Rawafi added, “In 1969, we landed humans on the moon for the first time. This Christmas Eve, we’re essentially embracing a star. It’s hard to imagine anything more exciting.”
The long journey to the sun
While the probe’s imminent encounter with the sun is historic, the journey has been anything but straightforward. The probe launched in 2018 and yet it has taken this long to get this close to the sun.
Rawafi explained that reaching the sun’s proximity is a complex challenge.
“The sun is the largest object in our solar system, containing more than 99.8% of its total mass,” he said. “Paradoxically, getting closer to it is incredibly difficult because objects launched from Earth inherit our planet’s orbital speed. To approach the sun, the spacecraft must slow down slightly.”
The Parker Solar Probe achieved this through a series of gravity assists from Venus. “We’ve used Venus seven times to gradually reduce the spacecraft’s speed and nudge it closer to the sun. The most recent flyby on November 6 set the stage for this historic approach,” he said.
Why touch the sun?
The sun has always been a constant in our sky, a symbol of stability and life. So why embark on such an ambitious mission to study it up close?
Rawafi’s response highlighted the importance of this mission. “We owe our very existence to the sun. It’s the source of life on Earth, but certain phenomena originating from it significantly affect us. For example, in May, we experienced a super solar storm that produced stunning auroras visible as far south as Florida. These events are a direct result of our connection to the sun.”
He elaborated on some of the unknowns of the sun: “The solar corona—the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere—is over 300 times hotter than the sun’s surface. This defies logic, as the energy originates in the cooler core. Additionally, the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the sun, travels at hundreds of kilometers per second. We still don’t fully understand how it gets its energy.”
Observing these phenomena from Earth is insufficient.
“The fingerprints of these mysteries are erased during the journey to Earth. To truly understand them, we need to study them at the source,” Rawafi emphasized. “And by studying our sun, we can also gain insights into billions of other stars in the universe.”
Anticipation and confidence
As the Parker Solar Probe inches closer to the sun, the stakes are undeniably high. First Coast News asked Rawafi if he felt stressed or anxious about the mission, his answer was refreshingly optimistic.
“I’m excited, not stressed...Over the past six years, we’ve built immense trust in the spacecraft’s systems,” he said. “This mission is inherently high-risk, but the data we’ve gathered already has been groundbreaking. More importantly, I’m looking forward to a big surprise from the sun. It’d be incredible if the sun gave us one of its largest explosions while the probe is nearby.”
A record-breaking speed
As the probe gets closer, it’s also setting speed records. The Parker Solar Probe’s previous flyby reached a speed fast enough to travel from New York to Tokyo in about a minute. Will this next approach break that record?
Rawafi confirmed, “Parker Solar Probe is already the fastest human-made object, and it continues to break its own records. At its peak speed of about 191 kilometers per second, it could travel from Earth to the moon in just 30 minutes. By comparison, Apollo missions took three to four days for the same journey.”
Engaging the public
With such an event on the horizon, where can you go to learn more about this?
“You can learn everything about the Parker Solar Probe on NASA’s official website, nasa.gov/parker, or through our social media at @NASASun,” Rawafi said.