The spacecraft will get seven times closer to the sun than any probe ever has.
Parker solar probe real images.
The faint grid pattern near the center of the image is an artifact of the way the image is created.
The parker solar probe abbreviated psp.
Since that fiery early morning liftoff with the mission s namesake eugene parker in attendance the probe has made.
Scientists released the mission.
The spacecraft about the size of a small car will travel directly into the sun s atmosphere about 4 million miles from our star s surface.
The sun is out of frame to the left.
It will approach to within 9 86 solar radii 6 9 million km or 4 3 million miles from the center of the sun and by 2025 will travel at closest approach as fast as 690 000 km h.
Previously solar probe solar probe plus or solar probe is a nasa robotic spacecraft launched in 2018 with the mission of making observations of the outer corona of the sun.
Nasa gov brings you the latest images videos and news from america s space agency.
Nasa s parker solar probe will be the first ever mission to touch the sun.
When the parker solar probe reaches the sun we can expect images of a very different kind.
An unprocessed image from the wispr instrument on board nasa s parker solar probe shows comet neowise on july 5 2020 shortly after its closest approach to the sun.
See images of nasa s parker solar probe mission which the agency plans to launch in july 2018.
Nasa s parker solar probe launched a year ago on a mission to touch the sun.