There will be an upcoming space spectacle come the early morning of Christmas 2024, with NASA's already six-year-old spacecraft, the Parker Solar Probe, set to make another approach to the Sun. However, this would not be any normal approach to the largest ball of star in the Solar System, as the probe would be making its "closest ever" advancement towards the cosmic giant.
NASA is now getting ready for this spectacular feat of the spacecraft, and this will mark the machine's first-ever flight around the Sun on one of the most important days of the year, with the public given a chance to track it.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe to Fly 'The Closest Ever' to the Sun
After a preparation for almost a year, the NASA Parker Solar Probe is now beginning its feat of making the closest approach ever to the Sun, and all systems are a go for the upcoming mission of the spacecraft. The fastest-ever spacecraft recently sent a beacon transmission to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) through the NASA Deep Space Network to share that its systems are operating normally.
The goal of the NASA Parker Solar Probe is to fly closer to the Sun than ever before, and it is targeting a distance of 3.8 million miles or 6.1 million kilometers from the ginormous star's surface.
It will be at its closest during the early morning of Christmas Eve this Tuesday at 6;53 AM EST, with the nearest approach called 'perihelion' would have the spacecraft out of contact from NASA. Come three days later and after Christmas, Parker will send another beacon transmission to NASA to share details on its health after the flyby mission.
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First of Three Close Missions, Marking 22nd Orbit
It was revealed that Parker Solar Probe's upcoming December 24 mission would mark the first of the three final close flybys the spacecraft would demonstrate near the Sun, as part of its planned missions. On the other hand, it was also shared that this mission will officially mark the Parker Solar Probe's 22nd orbit around the Solar System's central heavenly body, offering deeper insights into the Sun.
NASA and the Parker Solar Probe's Mission
The robotic spacecraft sent by NASA to the Sun's proximity in 2018 is still operational, and this highly celebrated spacecraft because of its massive feats done throughout the years while studying the Sun. The probe gained praise last year when it was hailed as the 'fastest human-made object ever' for its renowned flight at 394,736 miles per hour while near the star.
Because of its focus on investigating the Sun and coming closer to the celestial object more than any other spacecraft in the world, it was able to pick up significant data from the heavenly body over the years. The Parker Solar Probe was able to capture the most powerful coronal mass ejections (CME) documented by the space community, with this being theorized decades ago.
In last year December, NASA prepared the Parker Solar Probe for its historic approach to the planet that had the spacecraft travel closer to the Sun at 195 km per second, around four percent of the Sun to Earth distance. That preparation from last year will unfold in a few days during Christmas Eve morning, and right before the celebrated holiday, the probe will make its closest approach ever.
