How Close Can We Get To The Sun? NASA Has A Good Idea
An astronaut in his suit could get up to three million miles from the sun before getting into serious trouble, but NASA's spacecraft can do much more. Considering that the sun is 93 million miles away from Earth, humans can get really close. The sun is a very energetic celestial body, constantly emanating energy and solar wind.
For decades the sun has been the most elusive object in the solar system, but NASA never gave up on the idea of getting up and close. Understanding the sun is understanding life on Earth, and therefore the interest for science is priceless. Moreover, modern technologies and space exploration, and life on planets with thin atmospheres, are seriously impacted by solar activity.
Related: The Sun Once Had Saturn-Like Rings That Changed Our Earth Forever
NASA has reached a breakthrough in solar exploration, literally "touching the Sun" with the Parker Solar Probe. The probe submerged in the corona, or sun's atmosphere reaching 18.8 solar radii (around 8.1 million miles) above the solar surface. Data from the region's conditions told scientists it had crossed the Alfvén critical surface for the first time. Take into consideration that 20 solar radii are about 91 percent of Earth's distance from the sun.
Still, today NASA is unsure of how close the probe can get to the sun without being affected. Fifty years ago, getting as close as the Parker probe has gotten would have been impossible. Technology advancements made in sun heat shields, with light yet durable and efficient materials, have pushed solar science. The Parker Solar Probe was launched three years ago and is making history just now. However, the spacecraft was in design and development for decades.
Parker continues to circle closer to the solar
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