Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will complete its seventh and final flyby of Venus, marking a crucial manoeuvre that will help position the spacecraft closer to the sun than ever before, reaching within 3.8 million miles of its surface.
Credit : NASA
This manoeuvre is the last step before Parker’s historic approach to the sun. "We are essentially almost landing on a star," says Nour Raouafi, project scientist for Parker Solar Probe, underscoring the unprecedented closeness that the spacecraft will achieve.
Credit : NASA
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe's mission is to study the sun’s outer corona, with scientists aiming to understand why the corona is vastly hotter than the sun’s surface. The spacecraft has already provided data revealing details about this unusual phenomenon.
Credit : NASA
Gravity assists from Venus have been essential for adjusting Parker’s orbit, allowing it to gradually get closer to the sun. These close approaches reduce orbital energy, enabling Parker to reach new proximity records for human-made objects near the sun.
Credit : NASA
Though Venus flybys were intended to adjust Parker’s trajectory, they’ve also provided valuable data. During a 2020 flyby, Parker’s instruments captured images of Venus’s surface, offering rare views of its geographic features and revealing heat emissions from the planet’s surface.
Credit : NASA
During the upcoming flyby, Parker’s Wide-Field Imager (WISPR) will focus on surface imaging of Venus, as scientists aim to gain more context about the planet's landforms, possibly identifying chemical or physical properties unique to its terrain.
Credit : NASA
Parker will make its closest approach to the sun on Dec. 24, traveling at a record speed of 430,000 miles per hour. During this encounter, Parker will be out of contact, with mission control anticipating a beacon tone on Dec. 27 to confirm the spacecraft's status.
Credit : NASA
As Parker approaches the sun, it’s expected to reveal new insights into the solar corona and its heating dynamics. This mission represents a key milestone for solar research, with potential implications for understanding space weather effects on Earth.
Credit : NASA