NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is aiming for the sun | Science News

"NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is about to embark on one daredevil stunt of a space mission.

Slated to launch August 4, the probe will be the first spacecraft to swoop through the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, a roiling inferno of plasma heated to several million degrees Celsius.

The solar probe, if all goes well, is set to circle the sun two dozen times during its seven-year mission. It will be orbiting the sun from approximately six million kilometers away and at a speed of around 700,000 kilometers per hour. The Parker Solar Probe will observe the corona and the solar wind created by the sun. Both of which will likely help in learning more about the sun and its atmosphere. The information gathered from this mission will help future space travel.

Along with the probe will be the names of those who filled out a "Send Your Name To The Sun" submission at http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/Name-to-Sun/ before the deadline back in April.

NASA's Parker probe is about to get up close and personal with the sun

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is about to embark on one daredevil stunt of a space mission. Slated to launch August 4, the probe will be the first spacecraft to swoop through the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, a roiling inferno of plasma heated to several million degrees Celsius.