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What will be the primary scientific achievement from Parker Solar Probe's 2024 approach?
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Resolution / Starting Odds
Enhanced understanding of corona temperatures • 25%
New insights into solar wind dynamics • 25%
Discovery of unknown solar phenomena • 25%
Other significant scientific achievements • 25%
NASA scientific publications or announcements
Story
NASA's Parker Solar Probe to Fly Within 3.8 Million Miles of Sun at 430,000 mph on Christmas Eve for Corona Study
Dec 22, 2024, 11:48 AM
NASA's Parker Solar Probe is set to achieve a historic milestone on December 24, 2024, by flying closer to the sun than any human-made object has before. The spacecraft will approach within 3.8 million miles (approximately 6.1 million kilometers) of the sun's surface, entering its corona to study solar wind and the corona's extreme temperatures. Traveling at a speed of 430,000 mph, the probe is equipped with a heat shield designed to withstand temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. This mission aims to enhance our understanding of the sun's corona, which is significantly hotter than its surface, and the dynamics of solar wind, which can impact Earth's technology and environment. The probe will also provide insights into corona mass ejections and has utilized gravity-assist flybys, including several Venus flybys, to reach its current trajectory. The probe will be out of communication during its closest approach, with mission managers expecting to receive a status update on December 27. This mission coincides with the sun being at the maximum phase of its 11-year cycle.
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No significant new insights • 25%
New insights into solar wind • 25%
New insights into solar magnetic fields • 25%
New insights into solar corona • 25%
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Significant insights on corona temperature • 25%
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Discovery of new solar phenomena • 25%
New insights into the sun's corona temperature • 25%
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Successful approach and data collection • 25%
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Solar corona • 25%
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Solar wind • 25%
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Solar flares • 25%
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Solar wind • 25%
Corona heating mechanisms • 25%
Magnetic field dynamics • 25%
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Solar wind behavior • 25%
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Corona Heating • 25%
Energetic Particle Acceleration • 25%
Solar Wind Origin • 25%
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Corona heating mystery • 25%
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