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What speed will Parker Solar Probe achieve during its closest approach on Dec 24, 2024?
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Resolution / Starting Odds
Exceeds 430,000 mph • 25%
Between 420,000 and 430,000 mph • 25%
Between 410,000 and 420,000 mph • 25%
Below 410,000 mph • 25%
NASA's official mission updates or records
Story
NASA's Parker Solar Probe to Make Historic Closest Approach to Sun on Christmas Eve
Dec 23, 2024, 11:46 AM
NASA's Parker Solar Probe is set to make a historic closest approach to the sun on December 24, 2024, at 6:53 a.m. EST, Christmas Eve. The spacecraft will come within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles (approximately 6.1 million kilometers) of the sun's surface, closer than any human-made object has ever ventured to a star. Launched in 2018, the probe aims to study the sun's corona and solar wind, despite extreme temperatures that reach 1 million°F outside. Thanks to its 4.5-inch-thick heat shield, the spacecraft maintains an internal temperature of 85°F. During this perihelion, it will travel at speeds up to 430,000 mph (approximately 690,000 km/h), making it the fastest object ever built by humans. Communication with the probe is not possible during the closest approach due to interference from the sun. Scientists hope this mission will provide unprecedented insights into solar phenomena.
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430,000 mph or more • 25%
Between 420,000 and 429,999 mph • 25%
Between 410,000 and 419,999 mph • 25%
Less than 410,000 mph • 25%
430,000 mph • 25%
Less than 430,000 mph • 25%
More than 430,000 mph • 25%
Exact speed unknown • 25%
Yes • 50%
No • 50%
Successful approach and data collection • 25%
Successful approach, no data collected • 25%
Unsuccessful approach • 25%
No confirmation received • 25%
3.8 million miles • 25%
Less than 3.8 million miles • 25%
More than 3.8 million miles • 25%
Exact distance unknown • 25%
Significant insights on corona temperature • 25%
Significant insights on solar wind • 25%
Both significant insights • 25%
No significant insights • 25%
Heat shield performance issues • 25%
Communication blackout • 25%
Navigation or trajectory deviations • 25%
Other technical challenges • 25%
Significant new insights into solar corona • 25%
Confirmation of existing theories • 25%
Inconclusive data • 25%
Technical issues prevented data collection • 25%
Solar corona • 25%
Solar wind • 25%
Magnetic fields • 25%
Other phenomena • 25%