Simply leaving Earth’s orbit is enough to put yourself in danger. By not having the atmosphere that protects us, the solar radiation that it emits Our massive star is brutal and capable of generating fatal consequences for any living being.
Machines that travel to space also suffer the attacks of the Sun. Therefore, they are prepared to withstand the violent space environment.
However, what the Parker solar probe has done seems from another world. NASA prepared it to go study the Sun and has recently recorded a video in which it can be seen how the massive star is passing through a powerful storm.
The unprecedented event, in which a space probe survives the attacks of the Sun, occurred on September 5 of this same year. The eruption, also known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), was recorded on the opposite side of the Sun from which the NASA spacecraft was located.
How did he survive?
Withstands solar flare thanks to its protective heat shield. This shield is made of a reinforced carbon-carbon composite material, which is capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 1,400 degrees Celsius. The shield is also painted white to reflect sunlight and help keep it cool.
This thermal protective material for the Parker probe was able to protect it from the radiation of the solar flare. It absorbed the radiation and dissipated it as heat. The Parker probe also moved away from the solar flare as quickly as possible to minimize radiation exposure.
The Parker probe was at that time about 10 million kilometers from the Sun when it passed through the CME. The eruption caused an increase in radiation and heat to which the probe was exposed.
In the audiovisual material shared by NASA, you can see how the radiation particles that are heading towards the Earth pass and that will surely impact our protective layers.
A record-breaker at its finest.
Breaking two records at once, Parker Solar Probe has made its closest and fastest pass by the Sun yet. On Sept. 27, it flew only 4.5 million miles from our dynamic star, traveling at 394,736 miles per hour.
Learn more: https://t.co/du9vHwZNC0 pic.twitter.com/JB5vLUC0gL
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 28, 2023