After setting foot on the Moon, humanity has now extended its reach to the Sun. For the first time, a NASA spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe, has flown remarkably close to the Sun and successfully transmitted a signal back to Earth, marking a monumental achievement in space exploration.
According to British media, scientists received a signal from the Parker Solar Probe on Thursday at midnight (Friday at 5 a.m. GMT). The spacecraft endured extreme temperatures and intense radiation as it navigated the Sun’s outer atmosphere. During this time, communication with Earth was temporarily lost, leaving NASA anxiously awaiting confirmation of its status.
NASA confirmed that the spacecraft is safe and functioning as expected. It flew as close as 3.8 million miles from the Sun’s surface. This mission will provide invaluable insights into the Sun’s mechanisms and behaviors.
Dr. Nicola Fox, Head of Science at NASA, told international media, “People have been studying the Sun for centuries, but you can’t truly understand an environment until you experience it firsthand. Similarly, we can only grasp the Sun’s atmosphere by venturing so close to it.”
The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 and has been steadily approaching the center of our solar system ever since. This groundbreaking mission marks a new chapter in humanity’s quest to unravel the mysteries of the Sun.
