Soon, humanity will be ready to take another space milestone.

On July 31st, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) will release the Parker Solar Probe.

This will be humanity’s first mission to the sun. Recently, the US Air Force flew the spacecraft to Florida.

There, it will continue its testing. Eventually, it will undergo its final assembly and mating to the third stage of the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle.

Just before the spacecraft is fueled, the thermal protection system (TPS), or heat shield, will be installed.

The TPS is one of the most critical elements of the Parker Solar Probe. It will allow it to survive the incredibly hot temperatures in the Sun’s corona.

After the Parker Solar Probe is launched, it will orbit directly through the corona, or the solar atmosphere.

This is the closest to the sun that any manmade object has ever gone.

Thanks to the breakthrough technology of the TPS, the spacecraft will be able to orbit the sun in the corona, which is only 9.8 million kilometers from the surface of the sun itself.

Not only will the Parker Solar Probe be able to survive the brutal heat and radiation of the corona, but it will also be able to reveal fundamental science behind the workings of the sun.

The mission will reveal information about what drives the solar wind. The solar wind is the constant outpouring of material from the sun.

This material shapes planetary atmospheres, and it affects space weather near our own planet. On July 31st, the Parker Solar Probe will be launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

From there, it will begin its journey to the sun. The Parker Solar Probe will cross many milestones of humanity’s continuing space research.

It will allow people to learn more about the science behind the star that is central to the workings of both our planet and our solar system.

Image by chuck herrera from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/vectors/sun-star-sunlight-glow-universe-465936/