On Christmas Eve, NASA’s Solar Probe ‘Touches the Sun’

Santa’s sleigh is powerful, but the space agency’s Parker spacecraft can withstand the sun’s blazing heat.

Tuesday, December 24, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET

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An artist’s concept depicts NASA’s Parker Solar Probe’s approach within 3.8 million miles of the sun on Christmas Eve. [Courtesy: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Parker Solar Probe made a historic record-breaking close approach to the Sun on Christmas Eve, flying within 3.8 million miles, closer than any spacecraft in history.
During this flyby, the probe also broke its own speed record, reaching 430,000 mph, and survived the extreme heat thanks to a 4.5-inch thick foam heat shield.
The mission's goal is to collect unprecedented data from the solar corona on solar wind and space weather, with two more close approaches planned before the probe's anticipated end in June.

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Santa’s sleigh is powerful enough to travel around the Earth in one night. But on Christmas Eve, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flew around the sun.

At around 6:53 a.m. EST on Tuesday, the probe flew within 3.8 million miles of our solar system’s beacon—closer than any spacecraft in history. According to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Silver Spring, Maryland, which helped build the spacecraft, if the solar system were a football field and the sun were the end zone, Parker would be right at the 4-yard line

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.