Parker Solar Probe

1198:(Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun). The instrument uses two complementary instruments to measure particles across a wide range of energies. By measuring electrons, protons and ions, IS☉IS will understand the particles' lifecycles — where they came from, how they became accelerated and how they move out from the Sun through interplanetary space. The two energetic particle instruments on IS☉IS are called EPI-Lo and EPI-Hi (EPI stands for Energetic Particle Instrument). EPI-Lo measures the spectra of electrons and ions and identifies carbon, oxygen, neon, magnesium, silicon, iron and two isotopes of helium, He-3 and He-4. Distinguishing between helium isotopes will help determine which of several theorized mechanisms caused the particles' acceleration. The instrument has a design with an octagonal dome body supporting 80 viewfinders. Multiple viewfinders provide a wide field of view to observe low-energy particles. An ion that enters EPI-Lo through one of the viewfinders first passes through two carbon-polyimide-aluminum foils and then encounters a solid-state detector. Upon impact, the foils produce electrons, which are measured by a microchannel plate. Using the amount of energy left by the ion's impact on the detector and the time it takes the ions to pass through the sensor identifies the species of the particles. EPI-Hi uses three particle sensors composed of stacked layers of detectors to measure particles with energies higher than those measured by EPI-Lo. The front few layers are composed of ultra-thin silicon detectors made up of geometric segments, which allows for the determination of the particle's direction and helps reduce background noise. Charged particles are identified by measuring how deep they travel into the stack of detectors and how many electrons they pull off atoms in each detector, a process called ionization. At closest approach to the Sun, EPI-Hi will be able to detect up to 100,000 particles per second. The Principal Investigator is David McComas at 1234:, a metal device that can catch charged particles in a vacuum. Peeking over the heat shield to measure how electrons and ions are moving, the cup is exposed to the full light, heat and energy of the Sun. The cup is composed of a series of highly transparent grids — one of which uses variable high voltages to sort the particles — above several collector plates, which measure the particles' properties. The variable voltage grid also helps sort out background noise, such as cosmic rays and photoionized electrons, which could otherwise bias the measurements. The grids, located near the front of the instrument, can reach temperatures of 3,000 °F (1,650 °C), glowing red while the instrument makes measurements. The instrument uses pieces of sapphire to electrically isolate different components within the cup. As it passes close to the Sun, SPC takes up to 146 measurements per second to accurately determine the velocity, density and temperature of the Sun's plasma. SPAN is composed of two instruments, SPAN-A and SPAN-B, which have wide fields of view to allow them to see the parts of space not observed by SPC. Particles encountering the detectors enter a maze that sends the particles through a series of deflectors and voltages to sort the particles based on their mass and charge. While SPAN-A has two components to measure both electrons and ions, SPAN-B looks only at electrons. The Principal Investigator is Justin Kasper at the 2763: 851: 1188:

from the Sun. The fifth antenna, which sticks out perpendicular to the others in the shade of the heat shield, helps make a three-dimensional picture of the electric field at higher frequencies. The suite also has three magnetometers to assess the magnetic field. A search coil magnetometer, or SCM, measures how the magnetic field changes over time. Two identical fluxgate magnetometers, MAGi and MAGo, measure the large-scale coronal magnetic field. The fluxgate magnetometers are specialized for measuring the magnetic field further from the Sun where it varies at a slower rate, while the search coil magnetometer is necessary closer to the Sun where the field changes quickly, as it can sample the magnetic field at a rate of two million times per second. The Principal Investigator is Stuart Bale at the

462: 1087: 2737: 2804: 29: 2750: 1183:(Electromagnetic Fields Investigation). The instrument suite captures the scale and shape of electric and magnetic fields in the Sun's atmosphere. FIELDS measures waves and turbulence in the inner heliosphere with high time resolution to understand the fields associated with waves, shocks and magnetic reconnection, a process by which magnetic field lines explosively realign. FIELDS measures the electric field around the spacecraft with five antennas, four of which stick out beyond the spacecraft's heat shield and into the sunlight, where they experience temperatures of 2,500 °F (1,370 °C). The 2-meter-long (6 ft 7 in) antennas are made of a 2776: 835: 9281: 1264: 2788: 922: 1350: 9287: 2762: 94: 1303: 1159: 7521: 9293: 1168: 6161: 4764: 9565: 9199: 7515: 9790: 2227: 9949: 7391: 885: 897: 2816: 1272: 6700: 7527: 1033: mi; 0.040 au). The spacecraft trajectory will include seven Venus flybys over nearly seven years to gradually shrink its elliptical orbit around the Sun, for a total of 24 orbits. The near Sun radiation environment is predicted to cause spacecraft charging effects, radiation damage in materials and electronics, and communication interruptions, so the orbit will be highly elliptical with short times spent near the Sun. 11577: 2235: 11601: 11589: 5323: 4138: 9938: 6063: 6028: 5990: 5955: 5893: 5272: 5236: 5173: 5101: 5061: 5021: 4980: 4849: 4809: 4769: 4730: 4646: 4603: 4563: 4438: 4251: 4206: 3665: 3619: 3477: 3409: 3318: 3247: 3165: 3089: 2736: 899: 2823: 2821: 2819: 2817: 903: 902: 898: 2822: 904: 2820: 863: 2749: 901: 1216:. WISPR uses two cameras with radiation-hardened Active Pixel Sensor CMOS detectors. The camera's lenses are made of a radiation hard BK7, a common type of glass used for space telescopes, which is also sufficiently hardened against the impacts of dust. The Principal Investigator is Russell Howard at the 1310:

Within each orbit of the Parker Solar Probe around the Sun, the portion within 0.25 AU is the Science Phase, in which the probe is actively and autonomously making observations. Communication with the probe is largely cut off in that phase. Science phases run for a few days both before and after each

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An additional theoretical investigation named Heliospheric origins with Solar Probe Plus (HeliOSPP) starting from 2010 and ending in 2024 has the role of providing theoretical input and independent assessment of scientific performance to the Science Working Group (SWG) and the SPP Project to maximize

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are located in the central portion of the shield's shadow, where direct radiation from the Sun is fully blocked. If the shield were not between the spacecraft and the Sun, the probe would be damaged and become inoperative within tens of seconds. As radio communication with Earth will take about eight

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On 4 December 2019, the first four research papers were published describing findings during the spacecraft's first two dives near the Sun. They reported the direction and strength of the Sun's magnetic field, and described the unusually frequent and short-lived changes in the direction of the Sun's

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The first orbital period of 174 days was the orbit established by the launch and course adjustments, and was the orbit the probe would have taken had nothing further happened to change it. That orbit was, per mission plan, never completed. On the probe's first inbound course towards the Sun, it made

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with a period of 150 days (two-thirds the period of Venus), making three orbits while Venus makes two. After the second flyby, the period shortened to 130 days. After less than two orbits, only 198 days later, it encountered Venus a third time at a point earlier in the orbit of Venus. This encounter

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The Parker Solar Probe was launched on 12 August 2018, at 07:31 UTC. The spacecraft operated nominally after launching. During its first week in space it deployed its high-gain antenna, magnetometer boom, and electric field antennas. The spacecraft performed its first scheduled trajectory correction

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After 237 days, it met Venus for the fifth time and its period was shortened to about 96 days, three-sevenths that of Venus. It then made seven orbits while Venus made three. The sixth encounter, almost two years after the fifth, shortened its period down to 92 days, two-fifths that of Venus. After

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They also reported that, using the "beam of electrons that stream along the magnetic field", they were able to observe that "the reversals in the Sun's magnetic field are often associated with localized enhancements in the radial component of the plasma velocity (the velocity in the direction away

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alloy, which can withstand extreme temperatures. FIELDS measures electric fields across a broad frequency range both directly and remotely. Operating in two modes, the four sunlit antennas measure the properties of the fast and slow solar wind — the flow of solar particles constantly streaming out

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Photo from the WISPR shows a coronal streamer, seen over the east limb of the Sun on Nov. 8, 2018, at 1:12 a.m. EST. The fine structure of the streamer is very clear, with at least two rays visible. Parker Solar Probe was about 16.9 million miles (21.2 million km) from the Sun's surface when

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Much of the rest of each orbit is devoted to transmitting data from the science phase. But during this part of each orbit, there are still periods when communication is not possible. First, the requirement that the heat shield of the probe be pointed towards the Sun sometimes puts the heat shield

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The Parker Solar Probe is the first spacecraft to fly into the low solar corona. It will assess the structure and dynamics of the Sun's coronal plasma and magnetic field, the energy flow that heats the solar corona and impels the solar wind, and the mechanisms that accelerate energetic particles.

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On 25 September 2022, the first discovery of a comet was made in images from the Parker Solar Probe. The comet is named PSP-001. It was found by Peter Berrett, who participates in the NASA funded Sungrazer project. PSP-001 was discovered in images from 29 May 2022, part of the spacecraft's 12th

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Studies in the 1970s and 1980s reaffirmed its importance, but it was always postponed due to cost. A cost-reduced Solar Orbiter mission was studied in the 1990s, and a more capable Solar Probe mission served as one of the centerpieces of the Outer Planet/Solar Probe (OPSP) program formulated by

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The altitude is from the source cited, dated 2014. 2548 km comes to 1583 mi. NASA's and Johns Hopkins's press releases (identical), say "...came within about 1500 miles of Venus' surface..." A NASA blog, says, "...completed its flyby of Venus at a distance of about 1500 miles..." Other news

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The third flyby of Venus was the first to pass behind Venus from the point of view of the Sun. The probe was in Venus's shadow, obscured from the Sun, for about 11 minutes, and passed through a so-called "tail" of Venus – a trail of charged particles from the atmosphere of Venus. The probe's

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composite with a lightweight 11-centimeter-thick (4.5 in) carbon foam core, which is designed to withstand temperatures outside the spacecraft of about 1,370 °C (2,500 °F). The shield weighs only 73 kilograms (160 lb) and keeps the spacecraft's instruments at 29 °C

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WISPR first light image. The right portion of the image is from WISPR's inner telescope, which is a 40-degree field of view and begins 58.5 degrees from the Sun's center. The left portion is from the outer telescope, which is a 58-degree field of view and ends about 160 degrees from the

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In 2022, PSP and SolO collaborated to study why the Sun's atmosphere is "150 times hotter" than its surface. SolO observed the Sun from 140 million kilometers, while PSP simultaneously observed the Sun's corona during flyby at a distance of nearly 9 million kilometers.

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Details on Venus flybys from Guo et al. This was published in 2014, four years before the mission began. For a variety of reasons, including the fact that the launch had to be delayed at the last minute, actual details could differ from the ones presented in the

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Wood, B. E.; Hess, P.; Lustig-Yaeger, J.; Gallagher, B.; Korwan, D.; Rich, N.; Stenborg, G.; Thernisien, A.; Qadri, S. N.; Santiago, F.; Peralta, J.; Arney, G. N.; Izenberg, N. R.; Vourlidas, A.; Linton, M. G.; Howard, R. A.; Raouafi, N. E. (February 9, 2022).

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component of the plasma velocity (the velocity perpendicular to the radial direction). This component results from the force with which the Sun's rotation slingshots plasma out of the corona when the plasma is released from the coronal magnetic field".

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In March 2024, both space probes were at their closest approach to the Sun, PSP at 7.3 million km, and SolO at 45 million km. SolO observed the Sun, while PSP sampled the plasma of solar wind, that allowed scientists to compare data from both probes.

1226:(Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons). This investigation will count the electrons, protons and helium ions, and measure their properties such as velocity, density, and temperature. Its main instruments are the Solar Probe Analyzers (SPAN, two 589:

containing names submitted by over 1.1 million people was mounted on a plaque and installed below the spacecraft's high-gain antenna. The card also contains photos of Parker and a copy of his 1958 scientific paper predicting important aspects of

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between the antenna and Earth. Second, even when the probe is not particularly near the Sun, when the angle between the probe and the Sun, as seen from Earth, is too small, the Sun's radiation can overwhelm the communication link.

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The probe successfully performed the first of the seven planned Venus flybys on 3 October 2018, where it came within about 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) of Venus in order to reduce the probe's speed and orbit closer to the Sun.

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On 29 October 2018, at about 18:04 UTC, the spacecraft became the closest ever artificial object to the Sun. The previous record, 42.73 million kilometres (26.55 million miles) from the Sun's surface, was set by the

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The view from the probe's WISPR instrument on Sept. 25, 2018, shows Earth, the bright sphere near the middle of the right-hand panel. The elongated mark toward the bottom of the panel is a lens reflection from the WISPR

824:, is retracted behind the shadow shield during the close approach to the Sun, and a much smaller secondary array powers the spacecraft through closest approach. This secondary array uses pumped-fluid cooling to maintain 2195:

was able to download much more data than NASA had expected. So NASA announced a substantial extension of the third solar encounter phase from 11 days to about 35 days. The observational instruments were turned on when

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Fox, N.J.; Velli, M.C.; Bale, S.D.; Decker, R.; Driesman, A.; Howard, R.A.; Kasper, J.C.; Kinnison, J.; Kusterer, M.; Lario, D.; Lockwood, M.K.; McComas, D.J.; Raouafi, N.E.; Szabo, A. (November 11, 2015).

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Biondo, Ruggero; et al. (December 2022). "Connecting Solar Orbiter remote-sensing observations and Parker Solar Probe in situ measurements with a numerical MHD reconstruction of the Parker spiral".

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on 27 September 2023, the PSP's closest approach was 7.26 million kilometres (4.51 million miles), reaching this distance again on 29 March 2024. This will be surpassed after the remaining

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McComas, D. J.; Christian, E. R.; Cohen, C. M. S.; Cummings, A. C.; Davis, A. J.; Desai, M. I.; Giacalone, J.; Hill, M. E.; Joyce, C. J.; Krimigis, S. M.; Labrador, A. W. (December 4, 2019).

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On April 28, 2021, during its eighth flyby of the Sun, Parker Solar Probe encountered the specific magnetic and particle conditions at 18.8 solar radii that indicated that it penetrated the

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Howard, R. A.; Vourlidas, A.; Bothmer, V.; Colaninno, R. C.; DeForest, C. E.; Gallagher, B.; Hall, J. R.; Hess, P.; Higginson, A. K.; Korendyke, C. M.; Kouloumvakos, A. (December 4, 2019).

4683: 4631: 1063:, it will achieve a velocity of up to 200 km/s (120 mi/s), which will temporarily make it the fastest human-made object, almost three times as fast as the previous record holder, 7209: 5466:; Chandran, B. D. G.; Curtis, D. W.; Gallagher, D.; Gary, S. P.; Golub, L.; Halekas, J. S. (December 4, 2019). "Alfvénic velocity spikes and rotational flows in the near-Sun solar wind". 3866: 3503: 3436: 628:' Space Science Board, which proposed several space missions including "a solar probe to pass inside the orbit of Mercury to study the particles and fields in the vicinity of the Sun". 3193: 801:

minutes in each direction, the Parker Solar Probe has to act autonomously and rapidly to protect itself. This will be done using four light sensors to detect the first traces of direct

2169:(relative to the Sun) by about 10%, or 7000 mph. This altered the orbit, bringing perihelion about 4 million miles closer to the Sun than it would have been without the gravity assist. 4588: 867: 5819: 4794: 2781:

When Parker Solar Probe was making its closest approach to the Sun on June 7, 2020, WISPR captured the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in its field of view

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shortened its period to half of that of Venus, or about 112.5 days. After two orbits it met Venus a fourth time at about the same place, shortening its period to about 102 days.

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to reposition the spacecraft within the shadow again. According to project scientist Nicky Fox, the team describe it as "the most autonomous spacecraft that has ever flown".

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five more orbits (two orbits of Venus), it will meet Venus for the seventh and last time, decreasing its period to 88 or 89 days and allowing it to approach closer to the

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The second flyby of Venus on December 26, 2019. The velocity decreases by 2.9 km/s to 26 km/s (red circle), shifting the spacecraft to a new orbit closer to the Sun.

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reports, presumably taking that information, also provide a figure of 2414 km. But neither the NASA/Hopkins press release nor the blog gives a figure in kilometers.

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designed and built the spacecraft, which was launched on 12 August 2018. It became the first NASA spacecraft named after a living person, honoring physicist

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Since this discovery, a further 19 sungrazer comets have been discovered in the images taken by the Parker Solar Probe, including two non-group comets.

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On September 27, 2023, the spacecraft traveled at 394,736 miles per hour (176.5 km/s), fast enough to fly from New York to Tokyo in just over a minute.

10308: 9995: 9333: 8027: 3044: 2983:. The exact value will not be finalized until the seventh Venus gravity assist in 2024. Mission planners might decide to alter it slightly before then. 5127: 2324:; the probe measured the solar wind plasma environment with its FIELDS and SWEAP instruments. This event was described by NASA as "touching the Sun". 11651: 7040: 4233: 2317:-free zone of 3.5 million miles (5.6 million kilometres) radius from the Sun, due to vaporisation of cosmic dust particles by the Sun's radiation. 1280:

on 20 August 2018, while it was 8.8 million kilometers (5.5 million mi) from Earth, and travelling at 63,569 kilometres per hour (39,500 mph)

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As Parker Solar Probe flew by Venus on its fourth flyby, its WISPR instrument captured these images, showing the nightside surface of the planet

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Raouafi, N. E.; Matteini, L.; Squire, J.; et al. (February 2023). "Parker Solar Probe: Four Years of Discoveries at Solar Cycle Minimum".

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It is the Parker Solar Probe, named after Dr. Parker, now 91 years old. It is the first time that NASA has named a mission for a living person.

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this image was taken. The bright object near the center of the image is Mercury, and the dark spots are a result of background correction.

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orbits the Sun at a distance varying from about 46.0 Gm (46,001,200 km) at its closest to about 69.8 Gm (69,816,900 km) at its farthest.

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indicates that the probe will pass beyond Venus from the Sun; the probe will briefly pass through Venus's shadow in those instances.

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which dropped almost directly toward the Sun. While this explored the important solar poles and came even closer to the surface (3

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are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

10375: 9155: 8012: 8002: 6885: 3759: 11646: 11370: 10568: 9988: 9564: 9198: 8174: 7366: 3990:"Eugene Parker, 'legendary figure' in solar science and namesake of Parker Solar Probe, 1927-2022 | University of Chicago News" 3831: 3066: 2717:(SolO) missions cooperated to trace solar wind and transients from their sources on the Sun to the inner interplanetary space. 250: 6188: 1086: 10401: 9838: 9560: 9207: 8505: 6924: 5340: 1248: 1239: 1311:

perihelion. They lasted 11.6 days for the earliest perihelion, and will drop to 9.6 days for the final, closest perihelion.

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Paouris, Evangelos; Stenborg, Guillermo; Linton, Mark G.; Vourlidas, Angelos; Howard, Russell A.; Raouafi, Nour E. (2024).

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An apparent size of the Sun as seen from the Parker Solar Probe at perihelion compared to its apparent size seen from Earth

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PSP observed switchbacks — traveling disturbances in the solar wind that caused the magnetic field to bend back on itself.

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For altitude above the surface, subtract one solar radius ≈0.7 Gm. (A Gm (gigametre) is a million km or about 621371 mi.)

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Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).

8261: 7233: 6940: 5661: 2860: 1189: 6615: 3897: 11330: 10607: 9981: 9117: 8529: 8236: 6591: 2293:. The probe observed approximately a thousand "rogue" magnetic waves in the solar atmosphere that instantly increase 723: 483: 10068: 3144: 733:. The redesigned mission uses multiple Venus gravity assists for a more direct flight path, which can be powered by 9009: 8199: 6642: 5419: 4364: 4300: 624:

The Parker Solar Probe concept originates in the 1958 report by the Fields and Particles Group, Committee 8 of the

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What are the roles of shocks, reconnection, waves, and turbulence in the acceleration of energetic particles?

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How does the magnetic field in the solar wind source regions connect to the photosphere and the heliosphere?

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How is energy from the lower solar atmosphere transferred to, and dissipated in, the corona and solar wind?

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by as much as 300,000 miles per hour (480,000 km/h) and in some cases completely reverse the local

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What are the source populations and physical conditions necessary for energetic particle acceleration?

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What processes shape the non-equilibrium velocity distributions observed throughout the heliosphere?

10946: 10464: 10230: 9692: 9681: 9280: 9122: 8811: 8381: 7724: 7288: 6853: 3898:"NASA's Parker Solar Probe Is Named for Him. 60 Years Ago, No One Believed His Ideas About the Sun" 3785: 3151: 1322: 564: 102: 81: 4014: 1064: 191:

1.0 m × 3.0 m × 2.3 m (3.3 ft × 9.8 ft × 7.5 ft)

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Instrument activation and testing began in early September 2018. On 9 September 2018, the two

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How do the processes in the corona affect the properties of the solar wind in the heliosphere?

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Missions are ordered by launch date. indicates failure en route or before any data returned.

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to achieve a final altitude (above the surface) of approximately 8.5 solar radii, or about 6

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on the inbound trip, and are planned to run until the probe reaches about 0.50 au outbound.

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In May 2017, the spacecraft was renamed the Parker Solar Probe in honor of astrophysicist

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In the early 2010s, plans for the Solar Probe mission were incorporated into a lower-cost

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Maddock, Robert W.; Clark, Karla B.; Henry, Curt A.; Hoffman, Pamela J. (March 7, 1999).

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As the probe passed through the Sun's corona in early 2021, it flew by structures called

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s aphelion (in the case of the first flyby, after its launch), on its way to perihelion.

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the scientific return from the mission. The Principal Investigator is Marco Velli at the

1044: 817: 609: 600: 327: 236: 11040: 9286: 6521: 6454: 6237: 6164: This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the 6097: 5783: 5708: 5617: 5552: 5479: 5379: 5306: 5079:"Parker Solar Probe Reports Successful Record-Setting Fourth Close Encounter of the Sun" 5018:

Gives the time as "1:14 p.m. EST" and the distance of the flyby as "within 1870 miles".

4497: 4113: 3798: 3696: 3530:"For the Record: Parker Solar Probe Sets Distance, Speed Marks on 17th Swing by the Sun" 11581: 11406: 11068: 11032: 11009: 11001: 10993: 10941: 10512: 10508: 10258: 9973: 9942: 9808: 9798: 9035: 8189: 8115: 7371: 7131: 6916: 6533: 6507: 6471: 6438: 6223: 6131: 5746: 5692: 5691:; Chandran, B. D. G.; Chaston, C. C.; Chen, C. H. K.; Drake, J. F. (December 4, 2019). 5653: 5577: 5536: 5517: 3902: 3039: 2843: 1052: 575: 491: 283: 93: 28: 11347: 11342: 11213: 11142: 11104: 10966: 9888: 9325: 8927: 8554: 8499: 8429: 8410: 8397: 7958: 7847: 7842: 7837: 6972: 6537: 6476: 5797: 5750: 5738: 5730: 5657: 5645: 5637: 5582: 5564: 5521: 5509: 5501: 5427: 5393: 4673: 4551:

After Near-Perfect Trajectory Maneuver, Parker Solar Probe On Course To Touch The Sun

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Both the NASA and Hopkins press releases say that the flyby reduced the speed of the

1379: 1158: 737:. It has a higher perihelion, reducing the demands on the thermal protection system. 6745: 3843: 3580: 3145:

Feasible Mission Designs for Solar Probe Plus to Launch in 2015, 2016, 2017, or 2018

2321: 2252: 1302: 1208:(Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe). These optical telescopes acquire images of the 772:

The spacecraft's systems are protected from the extreme heat and radiation near the

11593: 10473: 10035: 9687: 9671: 9640: 9314: 9255: 8893: 7941: 7827: 7520: 6525: 6466: 6458: 6241: 6149: 6101: 6010: 5853:"Scientists 'Blown Away' by Unexpected Results From NASA's Sun-Kissing Solar Probe" 5787: 5770: 5720: 5712: 5629: 5621: 5572: 5556: 5491: 5483: 5383: 5310: 4501: 4117: 2179: 961: 636:

in the late 1990s. The first three missions of the program were planned to be: the

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The Outer Planets/Solar Probe Project: "Between an ocean, a rock, and a hot place"

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as well as having developed a mathematical theory that predicted the existence of

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its first planned encounter with Venus, which shortened its orbit considerably.

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are the leading candidates for understanding the mechanisms that underlie the

2286: 2255:, plasma connects to the Sun by waves traveling back and forth to the surface. 1167: 461: 11615: 11308: 11133: 10574: 10455: 10444: 10438: 10345: 10152: 9292: 9231: 9045: 8971: 8943: 8828: 8734: 8311: 8283: 7581: 7493: 7324: 7060: 6956: 6714: 6067: 6032: 5994: 5959: 5897: 5734: 5641: 5568: 5505: 5431: 5276: 5240: 5177: 5105: 5065: 5025: 4984: 4853: 4813: 4773: 4734: 4650: 4607: 4567: 4442: 4255: 4210: 4131: 3934:"Nasa's mission to Sun renamed after astrophysicist behind solar wind theory" 3669: 3623: 3481: 3413: 3322: 3251: 3169: 3093: 2919: 2714: 820:). A primary photovoltaic array, used for the portion of the mission outside 741: 657: 591: 571: 506: 305:

0.046 AU (6.9 million km; 4.3 million mi; 9.86

8921: 8221: 7514: 6794: 5693:"Highly structured slow solar wind emerging from an equatorial coronal hole" 5601: 3336:"NASA solar probe becomes fastest object ever built as it 'touches the sun'" 2976: mi) altitude above the surface, but later documents all say 9.86 11149: 10921: 10911: 10642: 10504: 10362: 10323: 10215: 9916: 9901: 9865: 9843: 9770: 9301: 9261: 8999: 8881: 8722: 8637: 8561: 8537: 8403: 8364: 8334: 8321: 8316: 8153: 7171: 6480: 5801: 5742: 5649: 5602:"Near-Sun observations of an F-corona decrease and K-corona fine structure" 5586: 5513: 5397: 4672:

Guo, Yanping; Ozimek, Martin; Mcadams, James; Shyong, Wen-Jong (May 2014).

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The trajectory requires high launch energy, so the probe was launched on a

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by a solar shield. Incident solar radiation at perihelion is approximately

553: 58: 5004:. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. November 20, 2018. 4873:. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. November 20, 2018. 4161:. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. September 4, 2010. 3646:(Press release). National Academy of Sciences; National Research Council. 451:

Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun Energetic Particle Instruments

11421: 11026: 10815: 10794: 10762: 10758: 10754: 10749: 10721: 10629: 10563: 10544: 10406: 10297: 10055: 9818: 9776: 9764: 9573: 9250: 8966: 8933: 8471: 8253: 7486: 7161: 6462: 5815: 5085:. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. February 1, 2020. 5045:. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. January 29, 2020. 3839: 2901: – 1990 robotic space probe; studied the Sun from a near-polar orbit 2314: 2294: 2226: 1231: 1213: 672: 645: 586: 541: 5496: 4964:. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. August 16, 2018. 4793:. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. October 4, 2018. 1359:

The speed of the probe and distance from the Sun, from launch until 2026

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How do the observed structures in the corona evolve into the solar wind?

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Bale, S. D.; Badman, S. T.; Bonnell, J. W.; Bowen, T. A.; Burgess, D.;

5633: 2893: – NASA probe to study solar wind, at L1 since 1995, launched 1994 2268: 1291:

test, transmitting wide-angle images of the background sky towards the

1103: 1056: 753: 605: 6551: 5255:"Switchbacks Science: Explaining Parker Solar Probe's Magnetic Puzzle" 5195:"NASA's Parker Solar Probe swings through Venus 'tail' in flyby today" 4188:"GMS: Cutting-Edge Heat Shield Installed on NASA's Parker Solar Probe" 3688:

Solar Probe Plus: A Scientific Investigation Sixty Years in the Making

3555:"Hey Nineteen! Parker Solar Probe Completes Record-Matching Sun Flyby" 2705:. It is the first spacecraft that detected this long theorized event. 1147:

How are energetic particles transported in the corona and heliosphere?

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Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles.

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from the Sun's center)". The researchers found a "surprisingly large

1271: 745: 718:, the entirety of the OPSP program was canceled as part of President 6407:"Parker Solar Probe Captures Visible Light Images of Venus' Surface" 3427:"More Than 1.1 Million Names Installed on NASA's Parker Solar Probe" 295:

0.388 AU (58.0 million km; 36.1 million mi)

11233: 11202: 11116: 11110: 11086: 11048: 10960: 10893: 10850: 10726: 10674: 10582: 10497: 10381: 10357: 10349: 10180: 10112: 9655: 9650: 9627: 9532: 9496: 9484: 9472: 9460: 9443: 9397: 9375: 9363: 9339: 8766: 8306: 8017: 7916: 7750: 7745: 7740: 7719: 7714: 7709: 7704: 7615: 7599: 7560: 7376: 6512: 6228: 6136: 5911:"GMS: Animation: NASA's Parker Solar Probe Enters Solar Atmosphere" 5120:"NASA's Parker Solar Probe flies by the sun in 5th close encounter" 4678:. International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics, at Laurel, MD. 4015:

How NASA's New Solar Probe Will 'Touch' the Sun on Historic Mission

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First Among Equals: The Selection of NASA Space Science Experiments

802: 10219: 6429: 5910: 4187: 4098:"The Solar Probe Plus Mission: Humanity's First Visit to Our Star" 3756:"McNamee Chosen to Head NASA's Outer Planets/Solar Probe Projects" 11220: 11198: 11178: 11123: 10982: 10906: 10899: 10842: 10538: 10490: 10484: 10433: 10366: 10303: 10280: 10209: 10163: 10143: 10099: 9881: 9607: 9602: 9597: 9592: 9587: 9579: 9454: 9413: 9408: 9391: 9386: 9309: 9226: 9040: 9023: 8889: 8852: 8394: 8369: 7964: 7278: 7249: 7217: 7146: 7124: 7020: 7008: 6767: 6066: