NASA invites earthlings to touch the Sun...Be sure, it’s safe
Coming summer, NASA will launch into space the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft to meet with the Sun. And together with the spacecraft, the main US space authority is going to send everyone, desiring to touch the hot heart of our planetary system...or rather, the names of everyone.
Approaching the minimum possible distance to the Sun, almost 6 million kilometers (closer than ever before), the probe will study the mysteries of the star still unsolved by heliophysics. To do this, the drone will fly 24 times through the upper layers of the Sun, or solar corona. And every time it will develop an incredible speed - up to 200 kilometers per second.
The spacecraft will operate in conditions of extreme heat at a temperature of 1300 degrees Celsius and under high radiation above the earth's background 500 times. However, there is nothing to fear. The probe is equipped with a huge sunscreen made of reinforced carbon-carbon composite, which can withstand higher degrees. The scientific instruments themselves are located in the central part of the probe blocked from direct radiation.
The scientists will place on the board of the spaceship a silicon microchip with the names of all people, who wish to join the NASA campaign “A Mission to Touch the Sun.”
So, are you ready to introduce yourself to the Universe? Then add your name here: http://go.nasa.gov/HotTicket
The application deadline is 27 April.
For reference:
The average distance between the Sun and the Earth is about 150 million kilometers. The current age of the Sun, estimated by computer models of stellar evolution, is approximately 4.5 billion years.
