NASA could make this Christmas Eve one to remember as its pioneering Parker solar probe is poised to make its closest-ever approach to the Sun.
The spacecraft is plunging into the star’s outer atmosphere at a record-setting 3.8m miles (6.2m km) from the surface.
This almighty journey will see the spacecraft endure extreme temperatures and brutal radiation during this flight which will be out of communication during this intense fly-by for several days.
NASA scientists will wait for a signal from the aircraft which is expected to be on December 27 in order to check whether it has survived.
On Tuesday, December 24, the probe will be at its closest approach to the Sun at 11.53am GMT or 6.53am US eastern time.
This record-breaking journey hopes to help scientists better understand how the Sun works with the probe’s closest approach to the star being known as perihelion.
At this time, mission teams will have no contact with Parker but will rely on a “beacon tone” to confirm its status on Friday December 27.
Despite the scorching heat, the probe’s internal instruments will remain near room temperature of around 29C (85F) while it explores the sun’s corona or outer atmosphere.
Parker’s heat shield will endure the brunt of the scorching temperatures of a whopping 870 to 930C (1,600 to 1,700F).
Alongside the intense heat, the probe will also experience super sonic speeds as it will be moving at a pace of around 430,000mph (690,000km/h) which is said to be as fast as a flight journey from Washington DC to Tokyo in under a minute or from London to New York in less than 30 seconds.
It will also endure radiation which could frazzle the onboard electronics but Parker is protected by a 11.5cm (4.5 inches) thick carbon-composite shield with the goal of the scientists to get this probe in and out as quickly as possible.
Speaking to the BBC, Dr Nicola Fox, head of science at Nasa said: “For centuries, people have studied the Sun, but you don’t experience the atmosphere of a place until you actually go visit it.
“And so we can’t really experience the atmosphere of our star unless we fly through it.”
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe’s mission was to head to the centre of our solar system.
The probe has travelled past the Sun a total of 21 times, getting ever nearer, but this Christmas Eve visit could be a record-breaker.
According to Nasa’s Nicola Fox: “We are 93 million miles away from the Sun, so if I put the Sun and the Earth one metre apart, Parker Solar Probe is four centimetres from the Sun – so that’s close.”
If successful, the probe’s mission will further help scientists discover more about the Sun’s biggest questions and mysteries including how the solar wind originates, why its outer atmosphere is hotter than the surface below, and how massive clouds of plasma which hurl through space are formed.
