<h5>What is the Parker Solar Probe?</h5><p>The Parker Solar Probe is a spacecraft launched by NASA on 12th August 2018 to study the Sun. It will fly within 6.5 million km of the Sun's surface (that’s why some say it will “touch” the Sun). The spacecraft’s data will also help us better understand space weather.<br><br>In December 2021, it flew through the Sun's corona and took some measurements. This was the first time in history that a spacecraft made contact with the star of our galaxy. As of today, it has already completed 16 out of its 24 orbits around the Sun.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><figure> <video width="100%" controls=""> <source src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/nasa-s-parker-solar-probe-touches-the-sun%2FParker%20Solar%20Probe.mp4?alt=media&amp;token=e5bd3a14-f1b9-4dca-9aff-0e7336887ff9" type="video/mp4"> </video> <figcaption>A video on the Parker Solar Probe. Video by NASA.</figcaption> </figure></div><h5>How can the spacecraft survive the Sun’s heat?</h5><div class="raw-html-embed"><figure> <iframe width="100%" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TN6rZF5dSRg" title="Why Won't it Melt? How NASA's Solar Probe will Survive the Sun" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption>Reasons why the spacecraft will survive the Sun. Video by NASA Goddard.</figcaption></figure></div><p>The Parker Solar Probe and its sensors are shielded from the Sun by a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-foam-based shield that can survive extremely high temperatures. The solar panels on the spacecraft can overheat if not protected. Thus, the solar arrays retreat under the heat shield's shadow on each approach to the Sun, leaving only a small section exposed to Sun rays.</p><p>The spacecraft also has several sensors along the edge of the heat shield’s shadow, which alert the central computer if they detect any sunlight. This causes the spacecraft to change its position to protect the sensors and the instruments. A cooling system is also fitted to the spacecraft. It will help keep the solar arrays and equipment cool and operational.</p><h5>What did the spacecraft do recently?</h5><div class="raw-html-embed"><figure> <video width="100%" controls=""> <source src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/nasa-s-parker-solar-probe-touches-the-sun%2FWISPR.mp4?alt=media&amp;token=00953b80-86c7-498c-8f26-7171cefd75d9" type="video/mp4"> </video> <figcaption>Parker Solar Probe passing through a CME. Video by NASA.</figcaption> </figure></div><p>NASA announced that the Parker Solar Probe moved through powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on 5 September 2022. This is an incredible feat in engineering and science.</p><p>CMEs are massive clouds of plasma that explode from the Sun’s corona and travel into space. When CMEs interact with Earth’s atmosphere, they can damage satellites, disrupt communications and technologies, and even knock out Earth's power grids.</p><p>Learning how CMEs interact with interplanetary dust could help scientists understand how quickly it travels from the Sun to the Earth, thus predicting when the planet would feel its impact.</p><h5>What’s the difference between the Parker Solar Probe and Aditya-L1?</h5><p>The Parker Solar Probe will observe the Sun from a much closer distance than the Aditya-L1. They also have different equipment onboard to study the Sun. However, they both will help scientists know more about the Sun. So that’s a win for science!</p><p>You can read more about Aditya-L1 in articles <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newsahoot.com/articles/isro-headed-to-the-sun-this-week">one</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newsahoot.com/articles/updates-about-isro-s-aditya-l1-mission">two</a>.</p>

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