Why Parker Solar Probe completing closest-ever approach to Sun is significant

Why Parker Solar Probe completing closest-ever approach to Sun is significant

Sub : Sci

Sec: Space sector

Context:

• The Parker Solar Probe, launched by NASA in 2018, recently achieved a major milestone by surviving its closest-ever approach to the Sun, coming within 1 million kilometres of the solar surface.
• To put this into perspective, if the Earth-Sun distance were scaled down to 1 meter, the probe would be just 4 centimetres from the Sun.

Significance of this milestone:

The Parker Solar Probe is the closest any human-made object has ever come to the Sun. Scientists are hoping that as the probe passed through the Sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona, it would have collected data that can give clues about some long-standing questions.

1. Why is the corona so hot?

The temperatures in the corona reach 1-2 million degrees Celsius, much higher than the surface of the Sun, and this remains one of the biggest mysteries in solar science.

2. What are the origins of solar winds?

Solar winds are continuous flows of charged particles that stream from the Sun into space. Understanding solar winds is crucial because they can affect satellite communications, power grids, and technological systems on Earth.

Parker Solar Probe: 

• The Parker Solar Probe is a NASA mission launched in 2018 as part of the Living with a Star program.
• The primary objective of the probe is to explore the Sun-Earth system and study aspects that directly affect life and society on Earth, such as solar winds and space weather.
• It is designed to make observations of the Sun’s upper atmosphere, known as the corona, and carries four instrument suites.
• Over the years, it has completed 21 orbits around the Sun, with flybys of Venus gradually moving closer to our star.

Heat Shield Technology:

• Traveling at speeds of 692,000 km/h, the probe endured temperatures up to 1,377°C at its closest approach. Despite this extreme heat, the spacecraft survived due to its advanced heat shield.
• The Parker Solar Probe is equipped with a 5-inch-thick carbon-composite heat shield that protects its instruments from the intense heat of the Sun.
• The shield is made of carbon foam sandwiched between two carbon plates, ensuring the spacecraft’s instruments stay at 85°F (29.4°C), despite the front side facing temperatures of over 1,371°C.
• The spacecraft also uses a water-cooling system to circulate water through its solar panels, helping absorb and radiate the heat away from the spacecraft.