Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is a NASA mission launched in August 2018 to do something never done before: fly directly through the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) and sample it up close. Its goal is to solve long-standing mysteries about how the Sun works and how it affects the entire solar system.
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🚀 Core mission objectives
Parker Solar Probe is designed to answer four big solar physics questions:
1. Why is the Sun’s corona so hot?
The Sun’s surface is ~5,500 °C (9,900 °F)
The corona is millions of degrees hotter
PSP measures particles, waves, and magnetic fields inside the corona itself to identify the heating mechanism
2. How is the solar wind accelerated?
The solar wind is a constant stream of charged particles flowing outward
PSP measures how and where the wind gains speed, from near-stationary plasma to supersonic flow
3. How are solar energetic particles created?
These particles can damage satellites, disrupt GPS, and endanger astronauts
PSP directly samples particle acceleration regions near the Sun
4. What shapes the Sun’s magnetic field?
The Sun’s magnetic field drives flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and space weather
PSP maps the field at distances never reached before
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☀️ How close does it get?
Closest approach: ~6.16 million km (3.83 million miles) from the Sun’s surface
That’s closer than any spacecraft in history
The probe travels up to ~430,000 mph (≈700,000 km/h) — the fastest human-made object ever
To achieve this, PSP uses 7 Venus gravity assists to gradually shrink its orbit.
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🛡️ Surviving extreme heat
Thermal Protection System (TPS)
Carbon-carbon composite heat shield
Thickness: ~11.4 cm (4.5 in)
Withstands ~1,370 °C (2,500 °F)
Keeps instruments behind it at room temperature
The spacecraft must stay perfectly oriented—if it turns even slightly, exposed parts can fail in seconds.
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🔬 Scientific instruments (onboard payload)
1. FIELDS
Measures electric & magnetic fields
Detects plasma waves and turbulence
Helps explain coronal heating
2. SWEAP (Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas, and Protons)
Counts and measures solar wind particles
Determines temperature, density, and speed
3. ISʘIS (Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun)
In 2021, Parker Solar Probe officially “touched the Sun” by flying through the corona.
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🌍 Why this matters for Earth
Improves space weather forecasting
Protects:
Satellites
Power grids
GPS & communications
Astronauts (Moon & Mars missions)
Helps us understand stellar physics across the universe (our Sun is a typical star)
---
🧠 Big picture
Parker Solar Probe is not just observing the Sun — it is sampling it directly, transforming solar science from remote observation to in-situ plasma physics. Its data will influence astrophysics, space travel, and planetary defense for decades.
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Parker Solar Probe — full details & what it does
Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is a NASA mission launched in August 2018 to do something never done before: fly directly through the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) and sample it up close. Its goal is to solve long-standing mysteries about how the Sun works and how it affects the entire solar system.
---
🚀 Core mission objectives
Parker Solar Probe is designed to answer four big solar physics questions:
1. Why is the Sun’s corona so hot?
The Sun’s surface is ~5,500 °C (9,900 °F)
The corona is millions of degrees hotter
PSP measures particles, waves, and magnetic fields inside the corona itself to identify the heating mechanism
2. How is the solar wind accelerated?
The solar wind is a constant stream of charged particles flowing outward
PSP measures how and where the wind gains speed, from near-stationary plasma to supersonic flow
3. How are solar energetic particles created?
These particles can damage satellites, disrupt GPS, and endanger astronauts
PSP directly samples particle acceleration regions near the Sun
4. What shapes the Sun’s magnetic field?
The Sun’s magnetic field drives flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and space weather
PSP maps the field at distances never reached before
---
☀️ How close does it get?
Closest approach: ~6.16 million km (3.83 million miles) from the Sun’s surface
That’s closer than any spacecraft in history
The probe travels up to ~430,000 mph (≈700,000 km/h) — the fastest human-made object ever
To achieve this, PSP uses 7 Venus gravity assists to gradually shrink its orbit.
---
🛡️ Surviving extreme heat
Thermal Protection System (TPS)
Carbon-carbon composite heat shield
Thickness: ~11.4 cm (4.5 in)
Withstands ~1,370 °C (2,500 °F)
Keeps instruments behind it at room temperature
The spacecraft must stay perfectly oriented—if it turns even slightly, exposed parts can fail in seconds.
---
🔬 Scientific instruments (onboard payload)
1. FIELDS
Measures electric & magnetic fields
Detects plasma waves and turbulence
Helps explain coronal heating
2. SWEAP (Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas, and Protons)
Counts and measures solar wind particles
Determines temperature, density, and speed
3. ISʘIS (Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun)
Measures high-energy particles
Studies radiation hazards & acceleration processes
4. WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe)
The only camera onboard
Images coronal structures, CMEs, and solar wind streams
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🌌 What Parker Solar Probe has already discovered
Confirmed magnetic “switchbacks” (sudden magnetic field reversals) are abundant near the Sun
Found that the corona rotates differently than expected
Directly sampled the region where the solar wind becomes super-Alfvénic
Observed dust destruction zones close to the Sun
Measured unexpectedly strong particle acceleration
In 2021, Parker Solar Probe officially “touched the Sun” by flying through the corona.
---
🌍 Why this matters for Earth
Improves space weather forecasting
Protects:
Satellites
Power grids
GPS & communications
Astronauts (Moon & Mars missions)
Helps us understand stellar physics across the universe (our Sun is a typical star)
---
🧠 Big picture
Parker Solar Probe is not just observing the Sun — it is sampling it directly, transforming solar science from remote observation to in-situ plasma physics. Its data will influence astrophysics, space travel, and planetary defense for decades.
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