This Christmas, the fastest human-made object will pass the sun at 430,000 mph—250 times faster than a bullet
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made history by passing closer to the sun than any previous mission while setting a new speed record for human-made objects. The spacecraft flew within 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface, traveling at an unprecedented speed of 430,000 mph.
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First human-made object to explore a star’s atmosphere
The probe, launched in 2018, has been inching closer to the sun with each of its 21 previous flybys. This mission, a collaboration between NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, aims to deepen our understanding of the sun’s atmosphere, solar wind, and related phenomena.
The challenges of flying close to the sun
The mission is not without its risks. The probe is designed to withstand temperatures nearing 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, thanks to an advanced heat shield. Despite its success, mission scientists remain cautious.
Exploring the Alfvén surface and beyond
During its most recent perihelion, Parker ventured into an unexplored region of the sun’s atmosphere, below the Alfvén surface, where the solar wind originates. This area offers a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms that accelerate solar wind and heat the sun’s corona.
A mission timed with solar maximum activity
The probe’s timing aligns with the solar maximum, the sun’s most active phase, increasing the likelihood of observing dramatic
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