Parker Solar Probe

About

The Parker Solar Probe is a groundbreaking NASA spacecraft launched in 2018, designed to explore the Sun's outer corona. It is the first spacecraft to fly through the Sun's corona, collecting crucial data on the solar wind and space weather. The probe's mission aims to understand how energy flows through the corona, accelerates the solar wind, and transports energetic particles. Equipped with a carbon-composite shield, it protects its instruments from extreme heat and radiation. The spacecraft performs 24 orbits around the Sun over seven years, using Venus' gravity to adjust its orbit. At its closest approach, it comes within about 3.9 million miles of the Sun's surface. The Parker Solar Probe's findings have significantly advanced our understanding of the Sun's influence on the solar system, providing insights into space weather and its effects on Earth. Its discoveries include the origin of switchbacks in the solar wind and the structure of the solar wind itself.