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NASA's Parker Solar Probe is gearing up for a record-breaking approach to the sun's surface on Christmas Eve. The spacecraft will come within 3.8 million miles of the sun, making it the closest any human-made object has ever come to a star.

 

Traveling at an incredible 430,000 mph, the Parker Solar Probe will make its closest approach of all 24 scheduled orbits around the sun. This historic milestone marks a major achievement for NASA's mission to study the sun's outer atmosphere.

 

The spacecraft is designed to withstand temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit as it flies through the sun's corona. With each solar orbit lasting 88 days, Parker will provide crucial data to help scientists forecast space-weather events that affect Earth.

 

The mission is particularly timely, as the sun has reached its solar maximum, increasing the risk of devastating space weather. The Parker Solar Probe's final two close approaches will be on March 22 and June 19, 2025.

 

Named after Dr. Eugene Parker, who proposed key concepts about stars' energy, the spacecraft has already made several milestones, including breaking the previous record for closest approach to the sun and becoming the first spacecraft to fly through the corona