And then, we’re going to be flying through the corona, the region where all the action is, where all the cool stuff is happening, so we can answer these fundamental questions about why is the corona so hot? We’re going to get into a very, very close orbit. We’re sending it, using Venus to help us along the way. So, on there abouts August 11th, we’re going to launch the mission from what’s called the Delta Heavy. Where exactly is this spacecraft going? And how long will it take to get there? What’s it going to do? I’m going to put my feet up on the table. IRA FLATOW: So tell us about this mission. 844 SCI TALK.Īlex Young is Associate Director for Science in the Heliophysics Science Division at Goddard Space Flight Center. Well, how will it do all of this and not become a modern day Icarus? You can send your burning questions about NASA’s solo mission to Scifri– S-C-I-F-R-I, OR give us a call at 844- 724- 8255. Close enough to measure the sun’s magnetic field, help scientists answer decades-long mysteries about the sun’s corona. If the sun and the Earth were on opposite sides of a yardstick, the Solar Probe would be hanging out at about four inches– four inches away from the sun. It won’t be the first spacecraft to get up close to look at our sun, but it will be the nearest we’ve ever come to touching it. On August 11th, or about that time, NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe. In our quest to explore our solar system, we’re at last turning inward, to the key to all life on our planet which is, yes, our sun. I’m Ira Flatow.Īs you know, over the last several decades, NASA has sent space probes to study Mars and Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, even to Pluto and its moons, and beyond.
Hopefully, the probe will help scientists answer decades-long mysteries about the sun’s corona.Īlex Young, associate director for science in the heliophysics science division at NASA Goddard, joins Ira discuss the mission goals for the solar probe and what will keep the spacecraft from meeting an Icarian fate. That’s close enough to measure the sun’s magnetic field. If that still sounds far, picture this: If the sun and the earth were on opposite ends of a yardstick, the Parker Solar Probe would be hanging out around the four-inch mark. It won’t be the first spacecraft to get a close look at our sun, but it will be the nearest we’ve ever come-about 3.8 million miles. On August 11th, NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe, the latest mission to study our nearest star-and every other star in the universe. But in our never-ending quest to explore the solar system, we can’t leave out our sun. Over the last several decades, NASA has sent space probes to study Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Pluto, and the objects beyond them. That goes for bodies in our solar system as well.
If you want to study something, the best way to do it is to go straight to the source.