NASA Parker Solar Probe survives plunge into sun

NASA's spacecraft has reported back after making a plunge into the sun.

The Parker Solar Probe has transmitted a beacon tone, indicating it's operational and in good health, NASA confirmed just after midnight on Friday, Dec. 27.

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The probe broke several records on Christmas Eve as it arrived just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from the surface of the Sun, seven times closer than any other probe. Protected from the extreme heat by a large heat shield, the probe also broke several records during its approach, including becoming the fastest human-made object ever.

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The mission, however, is not done. On the night of Dec. 26, NASA's mission operations team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, received the probe's beacon signal. Now, the probe is expected to send detailed telemetry data on its status on Jan. 1.

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The probe is fitted with instruments that can measure and image the solar wind, which is why the scientists are hoping it will pass through one of Sun's coronal mass ejections (CMEs) so they can gather further data on how a CME accelerates particles into space.

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If everything goes well, the Parker Solar Probe should pass similarly close to the Sun twice more, in March and June 2025.