NASA’s Spacecraft Dives Into the Sun's Atmosphere and Survives

Bright Side

NASA did something absolutely mind-blowing—they sent a spacecraft straight into the Sun’s atmosphere, and it actually survived! The Parker Solar Probe became the first human-made object to touch the Sun, diving through its scorching outer layer, the corona. Scientists designed it with an ultra-powerful heat shield to withstand temperatures over 2,500°F (1,377°C). As it swooped through, it collected data on solar winds and charged particles, helping us understand how the Sun affects space weather. This could one day help protect satellites, astronauts, and even power grids on Earth from dangerous solar storms. The fact that a tiny spacecraft made it through the Sun’s fury and kept sending back data is just crazy—and it’s only getting closer! 🔥  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00NASA sent a spacecraft right into the Sun.

00:07It's the fastest human-made object ever, and could cover the distance from Philadelphia

00:12to Washington, D.C. in just one second.

00:16The Parker Solar Probe's mission is to study our star's dangerous behavior.

00:22Scientists warn that massive solar storms are inevitable, and the consequences could

00:26be catastrophic for our planet.

00:29The spacecraft got seven times closer to the Sun than any other probe ever did.

00:35It managed to do so during its 20-second flyby to the star since its launch in 2018.

00:42Because our star is so massive, its gravity is really strong, like a giant magnet.

00:48As the probe flies around the Sun, it uses gravity to go faster and faster and eventually

00:54picks up that crazy speed.

00:57As it got closer and closer to the Sun's corona, which is its outer atmosphere, the

01:02probe had to survive temperatures of 2,552 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:08That's hot enough to melt many metals.

01:10It was protected from that heat and radiation by a 4.5-inch-thick carbon shield.

01:16It kept the tools inside the probe safe and running at around room temperature.

01:20The scientists went to all this effort because they're hoping to solve a big mystery about

01:26the Sun that's been puzzling them for ages.

01:29The surface of our main star is already super hot, but as you move closer out to the corona,

01:36the temperature shoots up to millions of degrees.

01:39And it doesn't make any sense because it's farther away from the Sun.

01:44So maybe we could finally get some answers about this heat phenomenon!

01:49The mission is also going to help us understand something called solar wind.

01:54The Sun is constantly shooting out tiny bits of energy and charged particles into space,

01:59like a never-ending breeze of electricity.

02:02When this solar wind hits Earth, it can create amazing light shows in the sky called auroras.

02:09The more active the Sun is, the farther south you can see auroras.

02:14Our star follows natural cycles that last about 11 years.

02:18The activity goes from low to high and back down to low.

02:23Right now we're in the solar maximum, the peak of the activity cycle.

02:27That's why we've spotted beautiful auroras in the most unexpected places in 2024.

02:33The downside to it is that the Sun's activity can send out bursts of energy and charged

02:38particles that can mess up things like radios, satellites, and even GPS.

02:43It can be dangerous, especially for astronauts out in space who aren't as protected as we

02:48are here on Earth.

02:51Astronauts wouldn't feel the compression of the planet's electromagnetic field because

02:55of all the extra radiation, but power grids are really sensitive to it.

03:00If we don't act fast, when it happens, the influx of energy will go into power transformers

03:05all over the world, disrupt them, and leave big areas without electricity.

03:11If this happens during a hurricane or a tornado, when communication is already super important,

03:17it could make it much harder for emergency services to communicate and save lives.

03:23That's why it's so important to learn to predict this space weather.

03:27It's tricky because, unlike most disasters like earthquakes, floods, and volcanoes, it

03:33doesn't leave behind any kind of physical evidence.

03:36The only big solar storms we really know about happened in 1859 and 1921.

03:43The first one, called the Carrington event, was so wild that it made sparks fly from telegraph

03:49wires.

03:50The auroras were seen all the way near the equator.

03:54Scientists back then were using a special kind of paper that reacted to light to record

03:58solar activity.

04:00During the Carrington event, the reading from the sun went off the page, literally.

04:06Whatever was happening, it was so extreme that we still don't fully understand it.

04:11Then there was the New York Railroad Storm of 1921.

04:15It was powerful enough to knock out telegraph systems across the US, Europe, and the Southern

04:20Hemisphere.

04:22The storm boosted radio transmissions for a bit, making them travel farther than usual.

04:27But back then, there weren't nearly as many radios, so it wasn't super helpful.

04:32The bigger problem was the electrical grid in the US, which was heavily damaged.

04:37Back in 1859 and 1921, people weren't as dependent on tech as we are now.

04:44If a storm like that hits today, the consequences could be way more catastrophic.

04:50Scientists from New Zealand who study space weather are working on simulations trying

04:54to prevent disasters from happening.

04:57They say one of the possible options to do it is to study other suns like ours elsewhere

05:03in space.

05:04If we get data from thousands of stars, not just one, the picture for analysis would be

05:10more complete.

05:11So far, scientists have launched or plan to launch several other missions in addition

05:16to the Parker Solar Probe.

05:18Meanwhile, NASA is working on another mission, launching Endurance, robotic moon machinery

05:25on steroids.

05:26Its main mission will be to collect samples from key lunar locations that will later be

05:31retrieved by astronauts from the Artemis program.

05:35These samples are spread across the largest impact basin on the moon, separated by hundreds

05:40of miles.

05:42To do it, Endurance will have to be way more advanced than Perseverance, NASA's current

05:47most cutting-edge rover.

05:50Endurance will drive roughly 100 times further, drive 10 times faster, and collect roughly

05:56200 times more sample mass.

05:59Endurance would also be the first planetary rover to drive at night.

06:04And because it will be on the far side of the moon with limited communication to Earth

06:09and surface data, it will have to drive autonomously between sample locks and make its own decisions

06:15in tough conditions.

06:18When it reaches its destination, it's going to switch to a more classic way of doing things.

06:23Scientists back on Earth will get involved directly, guiding a rover to explore the sites

06:28and collect samples.

06:30The teams on Earth will also keep an eye on how the rover is doing by monitoring its telemetry,

06:36which is the data it sends back, like its health stats.

06:40If they spot any signs that a part is wearing out or something isn't working quite right,

06:45they'll tweak the plan to keep things running smoothly.

06:48All this will cost huge amounts of money, probably way more than the Viper moon mission

06:54that was cancelled after NASA had spent around $450 million on it.

07:00While Endurance is in the planning stage, the Blue Ghost lunar lander is already on

07:05its way to the moon.

07:07Its main mission is research.

07:09It will spend 25 days in Earth's orbit, taking measurements and waiting for the right time

07:14to fling itself to the moon.

07:17After four days in transit, Blue Ghost will hang out in lunar orbit for another 16 days

07:23to collect more data.

07:25Then it will descend to one of the largest basins on the moon and spend one lunar day

07:31there.

07:32It will measure subsurface thermal data, radiation levels, and other important data.

07:38At the end of its mission, Blue Ghost will take some final pictures of the lunar sunset.

07:44It isn't designed to return back to our planet, so when the night falls, it will do some final

07:49work and go offline for good.

07:54NASA chose the team of University of Florida aerospace engineers to work on another innovative

07:59space project.

08:01It will cost $12 million and its goal will be to improve the way we track changes in

08:06tectonic plates and oceans on Earth, from space.

08:11It will use state-of-the-art sensors that will measure even the tiniest gravitational

08:15changes.

08:17The data it gets will help scientists monitor droughts, assess groundwater reserves, and

08:22better understand changes in sea levels.

08:26They expect to launch it around 2027 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

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