Remember when we were all kids, wondering if we could touch the sun, and just how hot it would be? NASA certainly does, because they’re launching their Parker Solar Probe in August whose mission is solely to fly into the sun to answer “three fundamental questions.”
So what are these questions? 1. How are solar winds accelerated to supersonic speeds? 2. Why is the outermost layer of the sun so hot when all its energy is produced at its core? 3. Why do solar energetic particles reach speeds up to half the speed of light? All of these inquiries aim to help better predict the future of weather, machinery, and are an ongoing goal of NASA to protect future astronauts in outer space missions.
My only question is how a probe is going to survive the temperatures of the sun? Well, here’s the answer to that, too. Two superheated carbon composite boards act as super shields from the heat, meaning the inner workings of the probe will never exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The Parker Probe will only hover around the sun’s corona or outermost layer, where there are fast moving with high-heat particles, but they are more spaced apart so they won’t be able to fully consume the probe.
Let’s hope all this carbon will protect poor Parker from being melted to pieces.
