NASA's Parker Solar Probe breaks record for fastest object ever recorded

ArabiaWeather - NASA's Parker Solar Probe was able to break the record for the fastest human-made object ever recorded. The probe reached an astonishing speed of 394,736 mph (635,266 km/h) on September 27 while making its closest approach to the sun's surface. This achievement came thanks to the gravitational influence caused by the probe's flight near Venus on August 21. With this, the Parker Solar Probe broke the previous speed record of 364,660 mph (586,863 km/h), which was set in November 2021.

Parker Solar Probe breaks record for fastest object ever recorded

According to the agency, the Parker Solar Probe set a new distance record, swooping within just 4.51 million miles (7.26 million kilometers) of the Sun's surface, the closest any spacecraft has ever gone around the Sun.

On September 27, the probe broke the record for the fastest object ever created by human hands, reaching an amazing speed of 635,266 kilometers (394,736 miles) per hour.

Venus flybys are a crucial part of the probe's efforts to study the Sun's scorching surface. As the probe passes close to Venus, the planet absorbs part of the Parker Probe's kinetic energy, enabling it to get closer to the Sun.

Another flyby of Parker's probe is planned, and its closest approach to the sun is expected in late 2024, when it will come within just 3.83 million miles (6.16 million km) of the sun's surface.

The Parker probe is expected to achieve about 24 orbits in total, so it still has 7 more to go, which may promise to see these records broken again, and each of them will serve as a reminder of what can be achieved with a little physics and a lot of curiosity.

Parker Solar Probe aims to understand the sun's corona

The Parker Solar Probe was launched in August 2018 as part of a seven-year mission. This mission is designed to understand the sun's corona, the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere. The research also aims to understand the process of heat transfer through the corona and analyze changes in plasma and magnetic fields on the surface of the Sun. This research helps scientists develop better predictions of space weather and understand its effects on Earth and space systems.

Source: rt

Image source: Science_Exploration