Tech in Space: Parker Solar Probe mission is to 'touch the Sun

From Sunspots to CME, extreme weather too can be dangerous. So, the more we know and the sooner we know about it is the better. So, enter NASA's Parker Solar Probe, the nearest human creation to the Sun.(NASA)

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is on a mission to "touch the Sun." It is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the Sun. (NASA)

NASA says "Parker Solar Probe is flying closer to the Sun’s surface than any spacecraft before it." Parker will fly more than seven times closer to the Sun than any spacecraft (NASA)

Over seven years, the spacecraft will complete 24 orbits around the Sun. Amazingly, at its closest approach, the spacecraft will come within about 3.9 mn miles (6.2 mn km) of the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe hurtles around the Sun at approximately 430,000 mph (700,000 kph) at its closest approach. Here is what you need to know about it in brief:

(a) Objective(s): Solar Orbit; (b) Spacecraft Mass: 1,510 pounds (685 kilograms) at launch; (c) Launch Date and Time: Aug. 12, 2018 / 7:31 UTC).

Parker Solar Probe is protected from the Sun by a 4.5-inch-thick (11.43 cm) carbon-composite shield, which can withstand temperatures reaching nearly 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,377 Celsius).(NASA)

Scientific Instruments: 1. Fields Experiment (FIELDS), 2. Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS☉IS ), 3. Wide Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR), 4. Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP)(NASA)