The probe of the American agency NASA broke the world record
No other human-made object has ever reached such a speed
On September 27, the probe of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) named Parker Solar Probe reached a record speed of 635,266 kilometers per hour, writes the Live Science server. No other human-made object has ever reached such a speed.
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The Parker Solar Probe touched the Sun
NASA scientists expect the Parker Solar Probe to answer the question of why the surface of the Sun, with a temperature of around 5,500 degrees Celsius, is significantly cooler than the corona, which has a temperature of six million degrees in places. There are several theories, but none fully explain the extreme temperature differences.
The $1.6 billion mission also aims to improve forecasts of major weather events that impact life on Earth and astronauts. NASA studies solar activity in detail, especially the ways of accelerating the stream of particles, the so-called solar wind. The mission is planned until 2025.
It is meant to clarify extreme weather
During its recent approach to the Sun, the probe set two new world records: it flew through space at a speed of 635,266 kilometers per hour, and it came within just 7.26 million kilometers of a burning star – making it closer than any probe had ever orbited before. states NASA.
The Parker Solar Probe repeatedly uses the gravity of the planet Venus on its way to the Sun and has one more flyby planned; it is predicted to come within just 6.16 million kilometers of the Sun by the end of next year. On its final flyby, the satellite is likely to reach an even higher speed than last time, cementing its position as the fastest man-made object in history.
The probe set out for the Sun from Florida’s Cape Canaveral in August 2018. The project was first considered even in 1958, the year NASA was founded. It is the oldest project of the American space agency. However, intense solar radiation prevented the launch of the mission for decades.
Parker Solar Probe, named after the famous astrophysicist Eugene Parker, weighs about 7,000 kilograms and is protected by a nearly twelve-centimeter-thick carbon shell to withstand high heat and radiation.
Preview photo source: NASA, source: Live Science, NASA
2023-10-16 12:56:19
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