NASA has successfully launched a spacecraft as part of a crucial mission to prevent a catastrophic "internet apocalypse" that could avert worldwide Internet access for months.
The spacecraft, known as the Parker Solar Probe (PSP), has achieved a critical milestone by deftly maneuvering through the solar wind, the Business Standard reported.
The possibility of an impending solar storm, often known as the "internet apocalypse," which might occur within the next 10 years, has more and more alarmed scientists. To meet this challenge, the PSP, launched in 2018, set off on an extraordinary trip that brought it very near to the sun's surface, where the solar wind originates.
The detrimental impacts of an "internet apocalypse" might occur, wherein people could experience prolonged internet service loss in the case of such a calamity, leaving satellites and power cables ineffective. This possible situation emphasizes how urgent and crucial NASA's job to protect internet connections is.
The solar wind is a steady flow of charged particles that emerges from the corona, the sun's outermost atmosphere. Despite the harsh circumstances of tremendous heat and radiation it endured throughout its journey, the PSP's main goal was to acquire crucial data on the complicated workings of the sun.
When you get so close to the Sun, you learn a thing or two! 😉
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) June 7, 2023
Sampling the solar wind close to the Sun, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has found hints that point to the origins of the fast streams we detect near Earth. ☀️ 💨 🌎
More: https://t.co/PGM4Al3OWr pic.twitter.com/UWWT5OCvd1
Understanding Solar Winds is The Key
The study's principal investigator, Professor Stuart Bale of California University, stressed the importance of understanding the process behind solar wind, according to Live Science. He added that understanding solar wind is significant for practical reasons on our planet since it transmits crucial information from the sun to Earth.
The assessment of how the sun releases energy and generates geomagnetic storms, which pose a danger to our communication networks, requires a thorough grasp of the solar wind, according to Bale.
In related news, NASA has begun a new initiative to let the public have their names stenciled into a microchip that will be carried on NASA's Europa Clipper mission in the future. In October 2024, the Europa Clipper will set off to investigate Jupiter and its moon Europa, per The Weather Channel.
