Parker Solar Probe: News Center

News CenterNews Archive

2022

Eugene Parker, University of Chicago Prof. Emeritus of Astronomy and Astrophysics, is remembered for seminal contributions to the understanding of our sun and solar system.

Remembering Visionary Heliophysicist Eugene Parker

Posted on 03/16/2022 12:11:56

Eugene N. Parker, visionary of heliophysics and namesake of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission, has passed away. He was 94. As a young professor at the University of Chicago in the mid-1950s, Parker developed a mathematical theory that predicted the solar wind, the constant outflow of solar material from the Sun.

The view from Earth: The red line indicates path of NASA's Parker Solar Probe across the face of the Sun, as seen from Earth, from Feb. 24-27, 2022. The red dots indicate an hour along the trajectory, and the appearance of the path heading into the Sun at right accounts for Earth's own movement around our star. The image of the Sun was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Telescopes Trained on Parker Solar Probe's Latest Pass Around the Sun

Posted on 03/01/2022 21:24:31

As NASA's Parker Solar Probe completes its latest swing around the Sun, it's doing so in full view of dozens of other spacecraft and ground-based telescopes. These powerful instruments can't actually see Parker itself – the van-sized spacecraft is far too small for visible detection – but they offer from a distance what the probe is sensing close-up, as it samples and analyzes the solar wind and magnetic fields from as close as 5.3 million miles (8.5 million kilometers) from the Sun's surface.Occurring at 10:36 a.m.

As Parker Solar Probe flew by Venus on its fourth flyby in February 2021, its WISPR instrument captured these images, strung into a video, showing the nightside surface of the planet.

Visions of Venus

Posted on 02/09/2022 10:35:30

Since Parker Solar Probe captured its first visible light images of Venus’ surface from orbit in July 2020, a subsequent flyby allowed the spacecraft to gather more images, which mission scientists strung together into a video of Venus’ entire nightside.

2021

Artist’s impression of Parker Solar Probe approaching the Alfvén critical surface, which marks the end of the solar atmosphere and the beginning of the solar wind. Parker Solar Probe’s crossing into this zone in April 2021 means the spacecraft has “touched the Sun” for the first time.

Parker Solar Probe Touches the Sun for the First Time, Bringing New Discoveries

Posted on 12/14/2021 10:59:52

A major milestone and new results from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe were announced Dec. 14 in a press conference at the 2021 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in New Orleans.

Parker Solar Probe is in the 10th of 24 planned, progressively closer orbits around the Sun. the spacecraft, built and operated at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, launched on Aug. 12, 2018.

Parker Solar Probe Completes a Record-Setting Swing by the Sun

Posted on 11/22/2021 16:53:38

Blazing along at space-record speeds that would get it from Earth to the Moon in under an hour, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 10th close approach to the Sun on Nov. 21, coming within 5.3 million miles (8.5 million kilometers) of the solar surface.

Parker Solar Probe is observing higher than expected amounts of dust near the Sun, which mission scientists say could improve our understanding of the innermost regions of our heliosphere -- and offer insight into an environment that, until now, was a total mystery.

Space Dust Presents Opportunities, Challenges as Parker Solar Probe Speeds Back to the Sun

Posted on 11/10/2021 14:44:47

Propelled by a recent swing past Venus, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is healthy and performing normally as it heads toward its next closest approach to the Sun on Nov. 21.Parker Solar Probe will break its own distance and speed records on that approach – the 10th of 24 planned, progressively closer trips around the Sun – when it comes about 5.3 million miles (8.5 million kilometers) from the Sun's surface, while reaching top speeds of 101 miles (163 kilometers) per second, or 364,621 miles per hour.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Its Fifth Venus Flyby

Posted on 10/18/2021 08:28:41

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is speeding in toward the Sun after a swing past Venus on Oct. 16, successfully using the planet’s gravity to shape its path for its next closest approach to our star.At just after 5:30 a.m.

The graphic above marks Parker Solar Probe’s location on Sept. 30. The green lines denote the spacecraft’s path since launch on Aug. 12, 2018; the red loops indicate the probe’s future, progressively closer orbits toward the Sun.

Short Maneuver Targets Parker Solar Probe for Venus Flyby

Posted on 09/30/2021 18:00:47

On Sept. 29, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed a small maneuver that refined its path for a flyby of Venus in two weeks.The maneuver, monitored from the mission operations center at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, lasted just five seconds and trimmed the spacecraft's velocity by 9.7 centimeters per second, or less than a quarter of a mile per hour.

Cloud Covered

Posted on 09/09/2021 11:00:00

Parker Solar Probe Team Sheds New Light on Structure, Behavior of Inner Solar System Dust Scientists using data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe have assembled a comprehensive picture of the structure and behavior of the large cloud of space dust that swirls through the innermost solar system - and the new insight offers clues to similar clouds around stars across the universe.Research teams led by Jamey Szalay of Princeton University and Anna Pusack of University of Colorado, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics took advantage of Parker Solar Probe's flight path - an orbit that swings it closer to Sun than any spacecraft in history - to get the best direct look yet at the most active region of the zodiacal cloud, a dusty cloud of grains shed from passing comets and asteroids.

Successful Ninth Solar Flyby for Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 08/13/2021 10:47:17

On Aug. 13, 2021, at 5:50 a.m. EDT, mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, Maryland, received a “tone one” beacon from Parker Solar Probe, indicating that all systems were healthy and operating normally after the spacecraft’s ninth close approach to the Sun on Aug.

On Third Launch Anniversary, Team Reflects on the Promise of Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 08/12/2021 08:12:41

Three years after launch, members of Parker Solar Probe team reflect on the efforts to ready the spacecraft to collect unprecedented data on the solar wind and environment around the Sun, and the promise of great discoveries to come.READ THE ARTICLES >>

Parker Solar Probe Speeding through Latest Science Encounter

Posted on 08/06/2021 13:26:14

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is speeding busily through its ninth science-gathering solar encounter, heading toward a close approach of the Sun on Aug. 9 that will take it to within about 6.5 million miles (10.4 million kilometers, or 14.97 solar radii) of the solar surface.

For its efforts to untangle the long-standing mysteries of the complex solar environment — such as activity in the magnetic field embedded in the solar wind, illustrated above — the Parker Solar Probe team has earned the National Space Club and Foundation’s Nelson P. Jackson Award, which recognizes the most outstanding contribution to aerospace in the preceding year.

Parker Solar Probe Team Earns National Space Club and Foundation Aerospace Award

Posted on 06/11/2021 13:18:25

After nearly three years in space, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has not only made numerous passes around our fiery orb, inching closer to the Sun than any spacecraft before it, but it has also ushered in discoveries that are shaping scientists’ understanding of Earth’s star.For its efforts to untangle the long-standing mysteries of the complex solar environment, the Parker Solar Probe team has earned the National Space Club and Foundation’s Nelson P. Jackson Award, which recognizes the most outstanding contribution to aerospace in the preceding year.Designed, built and operated by APL, the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft has successfully endured the brutal conditions near the Sun’s corona with the help of its cutting-edge heat shield, water-cooled solar panels and high-precision guidance and autonomy systems, allowing for unprecedented and long-awaited close-up observations of our star.These observations are addressing questions that puzzled scientists for decades, such as how the Sun’s corona is heated and how the solar wind accelerates through space to inevitably impact our environment on Earth.The Parker Solar Probe team has started piecing that puzzle together, thanks to the intrepid spacecraft and its suite of instruments, which have given scientists a look at the previously unseen dust-free zone surrounding the Sun, as well as front-seat views of the turbulent activity near its surface.

Among the major topics covered in the Astronomy & Astrophysics papers are magnetic switchbacks first discovered by Parker Solar Probe, the role of waves in heating solar plasma, solar angular momentum, the near-Sun dust environment, and the diversity of small energetic-particle events

Parker Solar Probe Ushers in New Science on the Sun and Solar Wind

Posted on 06/02/2021 21:29:50

Scientists using data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe released a new collection of research papers in a special issue of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on June 2. The issue, titled Parker Solar Probe: Ushering a New Frontier in Space Exploration, includes 37 papers on discoveries made during mission's first four orbits around the Sun.

Diagram of Parker Solar Probe’s latest and next two orbits and close approaches – or perihelion – to the Sun. The diagram includes the dates and locations of planned trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs) leading up to, and just after, the spacecraft’s fifth Venus gravity assist flyby – VGA5 – on Oct. 16. Having completed the TCM on May 15, the mission team will evaluate the necessity of the other course-correction maneuvers over the next several months.

Course Correction Points Parker Solar Probe to Next Venus Flyby

Posted on 05/19/2021 12:26:14

NASA's Parker Solar Probe executed a small maneuver on May 15 that corrected the trajectory errors from a gravity-assist flyby of Venus in February -- and put the probe on newly optimized path for its next Venus gravity assist on Oct.

Parker Solar Probe Keeps Its Cool as It Speeds Closer to the Sun

Posted on 04/29/2021 15:14:14

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has started its eighth science-gathering solar encounter, putting it one-third of the way through its planned journey of 24 progressively closer loops around the Sun.

When flying past Venus in July 2020, Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR instrument, short for Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe, detected a bright rim around the edge of the planet that may be nightglow — light emitted by oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere that recombine into molecules in the nightside. The prominent dark feature in the center of the image is Aphrodite Terra, the largest highland region on the Venusian surface. Bright streaks in WISPR, such as the ones seen here, are typically caused by a combination of charged particles — called cosmic rays — sunlight reflected by grains of space dust, and particles of material expelled from the spacecraft’s structures after impact with those dust grains. The number of streaks varies along the orbit or when the spacecraft is traveling at different speeds, and scientists are still in discussion about the specific origins of the streaks here. The dark spot appearing on the lower portion of Venus is an artifact from the WISPR instrument.

Parker Solar Probe Offers Stunning View of Venus

Posted on 02/24/2021 16:04:40

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe captured stunning views of Venus during its close flyby of the planet in July 2020. Though Parker Solar Probe’s focus is the Sun, Venus plays a critical role in the mission: The spacecraft whips by Venus a total of seven times over the course of its seven-year mission, using the planet’s gravity to bend the spacecraft’s orbit.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Fourth Venus Flyby

Posted on 02/21/2021 15:14:32

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe sped past Venus on Feb. 20, using the planet’s gravity to shape its path for its next close approaches (or perihelia) to the Sun. At just after 3:05 p.m.

Parker Solar Probe was making its closest approach to the Sun on June 7, 2020, when its Wide-field Imager for Solar PRobe (WISPR) captured the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in its field of view.

Parker Solar Probe Captures a Planetary Portrait

Posted on 01/26/2021 15:10:27

Its proximity to the Sun not only puts NASA’s Parker Solar Probe in position to grab unprecedented information on the nascent solar wind and solar activity, it also affords the spacecraft some unique (and pretty cool) views of our solar system.

With Parker Solar Probe’s latest closest approach to the Sun in direct view of Earth, some 40 observatories around the globe and several spacecraft, including STEREO, BepiColombo, andSolar Orbiter, made simultaneous observations of activity stretching from the Sun to Earth. Distances and planet and spacecraft locations are not to scale.

Parker Solar Probe Marks Seventh Successful Swing Around the Sun

Posted on 01/21/2021 14:32:33

There are lots of eyes on the Sun this week, as NASA’s Parker Solar Probe swings around our star on the seventh of its 24 scheduled orbits. None are closer than Parker Solar Probe, which passed just 8.4 million miles (13.5 million kilometers) from the Sun’s surface while flying at 289,932 miles per hour (466,600 kilometers per hour) on Jan.

2020

Data from Parker Solar Probe’s Fifth Orbit Now Available

Posted on 11/17/2020 11:16:41

Data from Parker Solar Probe’s fifth orbit around the Sun is now available to the public. This latest batch of science data was collected by Parker Solar Probe’s four instrument suites this past summer, and covers the mission’s fifth solar encounter — including closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion, on June 7— and a special observation period for the mission’s third Venus flyby in July.

Parker Solar Probe ‘Phones Home’ After Sixth Sun Flyby

Posted on 09/30/2020 14:10:19

Zooming away from the Sun, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe checked in with its operators on Earth early on Sept. 30, 2020, letting them know it’s healthy and operating normally after another record-setting close approach to our star on Sept.

Parker Solar Probe Speeds Toward Record-Setting Close Approach to the Sun

Posted on 09/25/2020 11:39:04

Propelled by a midsummer flyby of Venus, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has started yet another record-setting, science-gathering swing around the Sun, its sixth flyby of our star.Some instruments on the spacecraft have been turned on since late August, collecting data on the near-Sun environment and the solar wind as it streams from our star.

To date, Parker Solar Probe has observed switchbacks, which are traveling disturbances in the solar wind that caused the magnetic field to bend back on itself, an as-yet unexplained phenomenon that might help scientists uncover more information about how the solar wind is accelerated from the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Mission Releases Science Data from Fourth Orbit

Posted on 09/16/2020 10:54:52

Just over a month after Parker Solar Probe marked two action-packed years in space—and hot on the heels of its third Venus flyby and fifth solar orbit—the mission to “touch” the Sun released another trove of data to the public on Sept.

Parker Solar Probe Mission Turns a Terrific Two

Posted on 08/12/2020 10:52:36

Perched atop a powerful Delta IV Heavy rocket, NASA's Parker Solar Probe roared into the predawn skies over Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 12, 2018. The durable spacecraft, built and operated at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, has already set speed and solar-distance records, and continues on its journey to unlock the mysteries of our star.

An unprocessed image from the WISPR instrument on board NASA’s Parker Solar Probe shows comet NEOWISE on July 5, 2020, shortly after its closest approach to the Sun. The Sun is out of frame to the left. The faint grid pattern near the center of the image is an artifact of the way the image is created. The small black structure near the lower left of the image is caused by a grain of dust resting on the imager’s lens.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Spies Newly-Discovered Comet NEOWISE

Posted on 07/10/2020 16:43:03

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe was at the right place at the right time to capture a unique view of comet NEOWISE on July 5, 2020. Parker Solar Probe’s position in space gave the spacecraft an unmatched view of the comet’s twin tails when it was particularly active just after its closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion.

Early on July 11, 2020 (UTC), Parker Solar Probe will perform its first outbound flyby of Venus, passing approximately 516 miles above the surface as it curves around the planet. Such Venus gravity assists play an integral role in the Parker Solar Probe mission. The spacecraft relies on the planet to rid itself of orbital energy, which in turn allows it to travel ever closer to the Sun after each Venus flyby. The mission’s previous two Venus flybys swooped past the Sun-facing side of the planet, and this will be Parker Solar Probe’s first pass on Venus’ night side.

Parker Solar Probe Prepares for Third Venus Flyby

Posted on 07/10/2020 12:05:00

Coming off its fifth encounter with the Sun — and the mission’s longest observation campaign yet — Parker Solar Probe is now headed toward Venus. Early on July 11, 2020 (UTC), the spacecraft will perform its first outbound flyby of Venus, passing approximately 516 miles above the surface as it curves around the planet.

This animated sequence of visible-light images from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR instrument shows a coronal streamer, observed when Parker Solar Probe was near perihelion on Jan. 28, 2020.

Parker Solar Probe Teams Up With Observatories Around Solar System for 4th Solar Encounter

Posted on 06/16/2020 10:34:10

At the heart of understanding our space environment is the knowledge that conditions throughout space — from the Sun to the atmospheres of planets to the radiation environment in deep space — are connected.Studying this connection – a field of science called heliophysics — is a complex task: Researchers track sudden eruptions of material, radiation, and particles against the background of the ubiquitous outflow of solar material.A confluence of events in early 2020 created a nearly ideal space-based laboratory, combining the alignment of some of humanity's best observatories — including Parker Solar Probe, during its fourth solar flyby — with a quiet period in the Sun's activity, when it's easiest to study those background conditions.

Parker Solar Probe completed the fifth perihelion of its mission on June 7, flying within 11.6 million miles from the Sun's surface, reaching a top speed of about 244,225 miles per hour, which matches the spacecraft’s own records for closest human-made object to the Sun and fastest human-made object, set during its fourth orbit on January 29.

Parker Solar Probe Signals Successful Fifth Encounter of the Sun

Posted on 06/09/2020 17:20:32

On June 9, 2020, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe signaled the success of its fifth close pass by the Sun, called perihelion, with a radio beacon tone. The spacecraft completed the fifth perihelion of its mission two days prior, flying within 11.6 million miles from the Sun's surface, reaching a top speed of about 244,225 miles per hour, which matches the spacecraft’s own records for closest human-made object to the Sun and fastest human-made object, set during its fourth orbit on January 29.

Parker Solar Probe Begins Longest Science Observation Campaign

Posted on 05/12/2020 14:29:04

On May 9, 2020, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe began its longest observation campaign to date. The spacecraft, which has already completed four progressively closer orbits around the Sun, activated its instruments at a distance of 62.5 million miles from the Sun’s surface, some 39 million miles farther from the Sun than a typical solar encounter.

Data from Parker Solar Probe's Third Orbit Now Available to the Public

Posted on 04/15/2020 11:03:21

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe team released a second collection of science data to the public on April 14, 2020. The release includes science data from all four of Parker Solar Probe's instrument suites, spanning the mission’s third orbit around the Sun, which began on June 18, 2019 and completed on November 15, 2019.

New Wave of Parker Solar Probe Science Published

Posted on 02/05/2020 11:01:38

Researchers using Parker Solar Probe data released a new wave of research papers in a special supplement of The Astrophysical Journal on Feb. 3, 2020. The supplement, titled Early Results from Parker Solar Probe: Ushering a New Frontier in Space Exploration, includes some 47 papers with new findings based on the mission's first three solar flybys.

Illustration of Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Reports Successful Record-Setting Fourth Close Encounter of the Sun

Posted on 02/01/2020 08:15:00

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is healthy and operating as designed following its fourth close approach to the Sun, called perihelion, on Jan. 29. Mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, received a “status A” beacon from the spacecraft at 5:20 a.m.

Eugene Parker has been awarded the 2020 Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.

Eugene Parker Awarded 2020 Crafoord Prize in Astronomy

Posted on 01/30/2020 11:18:55

University of Chicago professor emeritus Eugene Parker, for whom Parker Solar Probe is named, has been awarded the 2020 Crafoord Prize in Astronomy “for pioneering and fundamental studies of the solar wind and magnetic fields from stellar to galactic scales."The Crafoord Prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in partnership with the Crafoord Foundation in Lund, Sweden."I am humbled by the award of the Crafoord Prize,” said Parker, now 92.

On Jan. 29 at 4:37 a.m. EST, Parker Solar Probe traveled 11.6 million miles from the Sun’s surface at perihelion, reaching a speed of 244,225 miles per hour.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Fourth Closest Approach, Breaks New Speed and Distance Records

Posted on 01/29/2020 10:47:20

At 4:37 a.m. EST on Jan. 29, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe broke speed and distance records as it completed its fourth close approach of the Sun. The spacecraft traveled 11.6 million miles from the Sun’s surface at perihelion, reaching a speed of 244,225 miles per hour.

Parker Solar Probe began its fourth solar encounter on Jan. 23 at 9:00 am EST. This orbit will bring it within 11.6 million miles of the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Prepares for New Science, New Records on Fourth Solar Orbit

Posted on 01/23/2020 11:00:40

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe began its fourth solar encounter today at 9:00 am EST, at a distance of about 23.3 million miles from the Sun’s surface. It will reach perihelion, its closest distance to our star, during this orbit on Jan.

Parker Solar Probe’s FIELDS instrument can eavesdrop on the electric and magnetic fluctuations caused by plasma waves, and it can “hear” when the waves and particles interact with one another, recording frequency and amplitude information about these plasma waves that scientists can transform into sound files.

Parker Solar Probe Team Hears First Whispers of the Solar Wind’s Birth

Posted on 01/14/2020 10:28:38

There’s a wind that emanates from the Sun, and it blows not like a soft whistle, but like a hurricane’s scream. Made of electrons, protons and heavier ions, the solar wind courses through the solar system at roughly 1 million mph (1.6 million kph), barreling over everything in its path.

Parker Solar Probe Project Manager Helene Winters of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Helene Winters Named Parker Solar Probe Project Manager

Posted on 01/08/2020 13:33:23

The Parker Solar Probe mission has named Helene Winters of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory as project manager, effective January 6, 2020. Winters assumes this role from Patrick Hill of APL, who has moved into a new leadership position in the Laboratory’s Civil Space Mission Area.

2019

Parker Solar Probe Completes Second Venus Flyby

Posted on 12/26/2019 14:43:45

On Dec. 26, Parker Solar Probe successfully completed its second flyby of Venus. The spacecraft used Venus to slow itself down, approaching the planet at a distance of about 1,870 miles from Venus's surface during the second gravity assist of the mission.

Diagram of the locations and dates of Parker Solar Probe's first four Venus gravity assists. The upcoming Venus gravity assist on Dec. 26, 2019, will be the second such maneuver of the mission.

Parker Solar Probe Heads Toward Second Venus Flyby

Posted on 12/23/2019 14:25:49

After nearly 17 months in space culminating with the release of new science data, Parker Solar Probe is right on course for its second Venus gravity assist maneuver. This flyby will set the spacecraft up for its fourth perihelion of the Sun, during which it will set records for spacecraft speed and closest solar distance, while continuing to gather groundbreaking data from within the Sun's corona to help scientists make new discoveries. On Dec.

Parker Solar Probe's WISPR instruments captured the first-ever view of a dust trail in the orbit of asteroid Phaethon. This dust trail creates the Geminids meteor shower, visible each December.

Revealing the Physics of the Sun with Parker Solar Probe: AGU 2019

Posted on 12/11/2019 13:01:48

Nearly a year and a half into its mission, Parker Solar Probe has returned gigabytes of data on the Sun and its atmosphere. Following the release of the very first science from the mission, five researchers presented additional new findings from Parker Solar Probe at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Dec.

NASA Science Live: New Discoveries from Our Mission to Touch the Sun

Posted on 12/05/2019 10:46:31

What mysteries about our star is NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission uncovering as it journeys closer to the Sun than any human-made object ever before? Watch this episode of NASAScience Live as experts discuss some of the first discoveries made by the spacecraft.

Parker Solar Probe Sheds New Light on the Sun

Posted on 12/04/2019 12:00:00

In August 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched to space, soon becoming the closest-ever spacecraft to the Sun. With cutting-edge scientific instruments to measure the environment around the spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe – designed, built, and managed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory – has completed three of 24 planned passes through never-before-explored parts of the Sun's atmosphere, the corona.

NASA to Present First Findings of Solar Mission in Dec. 4 Media Teleconference

Posted on 12/02/2019 16:37:31

NASA will announce the first results from the Parker Solar Probe mission, the agency's revolutionary mission to "touch" the Sun, during a media teleconference at 1:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec.

The Parker Solar Probe mission team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory was awarded the NASA Silver Achievement Medal on Nov. 12 for “stellar achievement in the successful development, launch, and commissioning of the Parker Solar Probe, NASA’s coolest, hottest mission.” Pictured left to right: Andy Driesman, APL, previous project manager; Patrick Hill, APL, current project manager; Nickalaus Pinkine, APL, mission operations manager; Robin Vaughn, APL, spacecraft system engineer; Annette Dolbow, APL, integration and testing lead engineer; Nicky Fox, NASA Heliophysics Division director; and Nour Raouafi, APL, project scientist.

Parker Solar Probe Team Awarded NASA Silver Achievement Medal

Posted on 11/13/2019 14:58:56

Parker Solar Probe has been awarded the NASA Silver Achievement Medal in recognition of its “stellar achievement” as humanity’s first mission to explore the Sun’s corona and the solar wind within the extreme environment around our star.The medal is awarded to government and non-government individuals or teams by NASA center directors “when it is deemed to be extraordinarily important and appropriate to recognize such achievement.” The medal was announced earlier this year at the NASA 2019 Agency Honor Awards at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.During a Nov.

Andy Driesman of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (center) receives the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal for his role as project manager of Parker Solar Probe at a Nov. 5 ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. At left is NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard, with NASA Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk at right.

Johns Hopkins APL’s Andy Driesman Awarded by NASA for Parker Solar Probe Leadership

Posted on 11/13/2019 13:43:43

It takes a lot of teamwork, skill, and expertise to get any space mission off the ground—particularly humanity’s first-ever spacecraft built to fly through the Sun’s atmosphere.

Data from the Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) instrument on board Parker Solar Probe captured during the spacecraft’s first solar encounter in November 2018.

First Parker Solar Probe Science Data Released to Public

Posted on 11/12/2019 12:08:05

On Nov. 12, 2019, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe team released scientific data collected during the spacecraft's first two solar orbits to the general public. Data can be accessed through the NASA Space Physics Data Facility, the Solar Data Analysis Center, the APL Parker Solar Probe Gateway, and the Science Operation Centers of the four science investigation teams (the University of California, Berkeley; Princeton University; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; and Naval Research Laboratory.) The newly released data, in the form of data files and graphical displays, is available for interested public users to manipulate, analyze, and plot in any way they choose.

This orbit plot shows Parker Solar Probe's location at 2 pm EDT on Sept. 1, 2019, as the spacecraft was at its third closest approach, or perihelion, to the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Third Close Approach of the Sun

Posted on 09/03/2019 10:32:43

At just before 1:50 pm EDT on Sept. 1, 2019, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its third close approach (or perihelion) of the Sun. At the time of perihelion, the spacecraft was about 15 million miles from the Sun’s surface, traveling at more than 213,200 miles per hour.

This image from Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument shows a coronal streamer, seen over the east limb of the Sun on Nov. 8, 2018, at 1:12 a.m. EST. Parker Solar Probe was about 16.9 million miles from the Sun’s surface when this image was taken. The bright object near the center of the image is Mercury, and the dark spots are a result of background correction.

Parker Solar Probe Gets Extra Observation Time

Posted on 08/16/2019 15:38:25

After Parker Solar Probe’s successful first year in space, the mission team has decided to extend science observations as the spacecraft approaches its third solar encounter. Parker Solar Probe turned on its four instrument suites on Aug.

One Year, Two Trips Around the Sun for Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 08/12/2019 10:35:36

Since NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched on Aug. 12, 2018, Earth has made a single trip around the Sun — while the daring solar explorer is well into its third orbit around our star.

In this image from the Deep Space Network Now site, Parker Solar Probe is shown connecting with a carrier wave to antennas 25 and 55 on Aug. 1, 2019. Parker Solar Probe is identified as SPP by DSN; the mission, formerly Solar Probe Plus, was renamed for solar scientist Eugene Parker in 2017.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Download of Science Data from First Two Solar Encounters

Posted on 08/01/2019 11:32:38

As NASA’s Parker Solar Probe approaches its third encounter with the Sun, mission scientists are hard at work poring over data from the spacecraft's first two flybys of our star — and thanks to excellent performance by the spacecraft and the mission operations team, they're about to get something extra.

First light data from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument suite. The right side of this image — from WISPR's inner telescope — has a 40-degree field of view, with its right edge 58.5 degrees from the Sun's center. The bright object slightly to the right of the image's center is Jupiter. The left side of the image is from WISPR's outer telescope, which has a 58-degree field of view and extends to about 160 degrees from the Sun. There is a parallax of about 13 degrees in the apparent position of the Sun as viewed from Earth and from Parker Solar Probe.

University of Michigan: Solving the Sun’s Super-Heating Mystery with Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 06/06/2019 12:11:31

It’s one of the greatest and longest-running mysteries surrounding, quite literally, our sun—why is its outer atmosphere hotter than its fiery surface? University of Michigan researchers believe they have the answer, and hope to prove it with help from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Second Close Approach to the Sun

Posted on 04/05/2019 10:31:36

Parker Solar Probe has successfully completed its second close approach to the Sun, called perihelion, and is now entering the outbound phase of its second solar orbit. At 6:40 p.m.

Parker Solar Probe Project Manager Patrick Hill of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Patrick Hill Assumes Role as Parker Solar Probe Project Manager

Posted on 04/01/2019 16:22:13

Patrick Hill of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has been named the Parker Solar Probe project manager effective April 1, 2019. In this new role, he will be responsible for overall mission success and execution, including the collection and analysis of science data, sustained flight spacecraft engineering, and mission operations.

The plot above shows Parker Solar Probe's location and speed (relative to the Sun) at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on March 28, two days before the beginning of its second solar encounter. Parker Solar Probe will achieve its second perihelion of the Sun on April 4.

Parker Solar Probe Approaches Second Solar Encounter

Posted on 03/28/2019 13:19:31

On March 30, 2019, Parker Solar Probe begins the second solar encounter phase of its mission, culminating in its closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion, on April 4. During this solar encounter phase, which lasts until April 10, the spacecraft's four suites of science instruments are fully operational and storing science data collected from within the Sun's corona.

Parker Solar Probe awaits closure of its fairing and eventual transport to the launch pad in 2018.

Parker Solar Probe Wins AAS 2018 Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award

Posted on 03/21/2019 14:05:38

The Parker Solar Probe team has been named the winner of the 2018 Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award, given by the American Astronautical Society at its 57th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium in Silver Spring, Maryland.

All Systems Go As Parker Solar Probe Begins Second Sun Orbit

Posted on 01/22/2019 09:15:00

On Jan. 19, 2019, just 161 days after its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its first orbit of the Sun, reaching the point in its orbit farthest from our star, called aphelion.

Parker Solar Probe's magnetometer boom hinge.

Life of a Part: Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 01/22/2019 09:04:10

As NASA’s Parker Solar Probe begins the second of 24 planned orbits—on track for its second perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun, on April 4, 2019—take a look back to how the spacecraft was built at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.

2018

Preparing for Discovery With NASA's Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 12/13/2018 09:09:26

Weeks after Parker Solar Probe made the closest-ever approach to a star, the science data from the first solar encounter is just making its way into the hands of the mission's scientists.

Parker Solar Probe is shown as it was mated to the third stage rocket motor on July 11, 2018, at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida.

Parker Solar Probe Named Popular Science’s 2018 Innovation of the Year

Posted on 11/28/2018 15:00:58

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe – humanity’s first mission to “touch” the Sun – was today named the innovation of the year by Popular Science. The revolutionary spacecraft – designed, built, and operated for NASA by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland – launched on August 12, 2018.

Parker Solar Probe Reports First Telemetry, Acquisition of Science Data Since Perihelion

Posted on 11/20/2018 11:00:31

On Nov. 16, Parker Solar Probe reported that all systems are operating well in the first detailed performance and health update sent to Earth by the spacecraft since its first solar encounter.

Members of the Parker Solar Probe mission team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland celebrate on Nov. 7, 2018, after receiving a beacon indicating the spacecraft is in good health following its first perihelion.

Parker Solar Probe Reports Good Status After Close Solar Approach

Posted on 11/07/2018 17:13:45

Parker Solar Probe is alive and well after skimming by the Sun at just 15 million miles from our star's surface. This is far closer than any spacecraft has ever gone — the previous record was set by Helios B in 1976 and broken by Parker on Oct.

First perihelion is expected at about 10:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 5. The spacecraft will come within 15 million miles of the Sun's surface and clock in at a top speed of 213,200 miles per hour relative to the Sun — setting new records for both closest solar approach and top heliocentric speed by a spacecraft.

First Perihelion: Into the Unknown

Posted on 11/02/2018 13:03:12

At about 10:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 5, Parker Solar Probe will achieve its first perihelion - its first close approach to the Sun - and will come within 15 million miles of the Sun's surface.

Plot of Parker Solar Probe's location on Oct. 31, 2018 as it began its first solar encounter.

Parker Solar Probe Starts First Solar Encounter

Posted on 10/31/2018 13:32:08

On Oct. 31, 2018, Parker Solar Probe began its first of 24 solar encounters. This period — which lasts until Nov. 11 — is the time during which the spacecraft is within 0.25 astronomical units, or 23.2 million miles, of the Sun's center.

Parker Solar Probe Becomes Fastest-Ever Spacecraft

Posted on 10/30/2018 05:56:58

At about 10:54 p.m. EDT on Oct. 29, Parker Solar Probe surpassed 153,454 miles per hour — as calculated by the mission team — making it the fastest-ever human-made object relative to the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Breaks Record, Becomes Closest Spacecraft to Sun

Posted on 10/29/2018 13:06:31

Parker Solar Probe now holds the record for closest approach to the Sun by a human-made object. The spacecraft passed the current record of 26.55 million miles from the Sun's surface on Oct.

The view from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR instrument on Sept. 25, 2018, shows Earth, the bright sphere near the middle of the right-hand panel. The elongated mark towards the bottom of the panel is a lens reflection from the WISPR instrument.

Parker Solar Probe Looks Back at Home

Posted on 10/24/2018 13:30:20

On Sept. 25, 2018, Parker Solar Probe captured a view of Earth as it sped toward the first Venus gravity assist of the mission. Earth is the bright, round object visible in the right side of the image.

Members of the Parker Solar Probe team examine and align one of the two solar arrays that will power the spacecraft during its seven-year mission to the Sun. The solar arrays are cooled by a gallon of water that circulates through small tubes in the arrays and into large radiators at the top of the spacecraft.

In First for a Spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe Autonomously Manages Heat Load on Solar Arrays

Posted on 10/17/2018 11:06:59

Two days after NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flew past Venus toward its rendezvous with the Sun, the spacecraft had drawn close enough to our star that its power-generating solar array wings began to tilt themselves inward – a task directed by the spacecraft itself, based on the rising temperatures – away from the Sun and behind the sun shield.

The final orbit for the Parker Solar Probe mission uses seven Venus gravity assists to rack up more than 900 hours close to the Sun. The original mission concept, using a single Jupiter gravity assist, got the spacecraft closer to the Sun, but gave scientists less than 100 hours in key areas.

How A Change in Mission Design Unlocked the Journey to the Sun

Posted on 10/04/2018 12:33:27

On Oct. 3, 2018, Parker Solar Probe performed the first significant celestial maneuver of its seven-year mission. As the orbits of the spacecraft and Venus converged toward the same point, Parker Solar Probe slipped in front of the planet, allowing Venus' gravity — relatively small by celestial standards — to twist its path and change its speed.

Artist concept of Parker Solar Probe flying past Venus

Parker Solar Probe Successfully Performs Venus Flyby

Posted on 10/03/2018 11:17:21

On Oct. 3, Parker Solar Probe successfully completed its flyby of Venus at a distance of about 1,500 miles during the first Venus gravity assist of the mission. These gravity assists will help the spacecraft tighten its orbit closer and closer to the Sun over the course of the mission.Detailed data from the flyby will be assessed over the next few days.

Fall 2018 Milestones for Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 10/02/2018 10:15:50

We like to call Parker Solar Probe the coolest, hottest, fastest mission under the Sun — and fall 2018 will prove why. Here are a few mission milestones to look forward to over the coming months.

Andy Dantzler joined Johns Hopkins APL in 2006 after more than 20 years with NASA. Here, he serves as a panelist at the Low-Cost Planetary Missions Conference, held at APL in June 2011.

Parker Solar Probe Begins Mission on Rocket Dedicated to APL's Andy Dantzler

Posted on 09/26/2018 11:37:53

As Parker Solar Probe – named for pioneering solar scientist Eugene Parker – rose from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station into the skies above Florida in the early morning hours of Aug.

Illuminating First Light Data from Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 09/19/2018 12:19:52

Just over a month into its mission, Parker Solar Probe has returned first-light data from each of its four instrument suites. These early observations – while not yet examples of the key science observations Parker Solar Probe will take closer to the Sun – show that each of the instruments is working well.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is shown here mated to its third stage rocket motor on July 16, 2018, at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida. The Solar Array Cooling System uses large black radiators, at the top of the spacecraft, to cool water that flows through portions of the solar arrays, bottom left.

Parker Solar Probe’s Solar Array Cooling System Fully Activated

Posted on 09/14/2018 15:02:34

On Sept. 13, Parker Solar Probe's first-of-its-kind water-cooled Solar Array Cooling System (or SACS) was made fully operational. The SACS will protect Parker Solar Probe’s solar arrays — responsible for powering the spacecraft — from the intense heat of the Sun.

360 Video: Parker Solar Probe Launch

Posted on 09/07/2018 08:18:17

Watch in 360 degrees as Parker Solar Probe launches aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft lifted off at 3:31 a.m.

Where's Parker Solar Probe? Track the Spacecraft!

Posted on 09/06/2018 13:23:18

You can now track the position and speed of Parker Solar Probe on the web: http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/index.php#Where-Is-PSP The plots showing the spacecraft’s heliocentric velocity, distances from the Sun and Earth, and round-trip light time to Earth update every hour.

An artist’s concept of Parker Solar Probe in space. The FIELDS antennas extend out from behind the heat shield, and the Solar Probe Cup is visible on the right.

Parker Solar Probe Continues Successful Commissioning Operations

Posted on 09/05/2018 10:35:32

Parker Solar Probe continues to bring its instruments and secondary systems online — slightly ahead of schedule — as it speeds away from Earth. On Friday, Aug. 31, flight controllers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland performed a second planned Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM-2), a thruster burn which lasted for 35.2 seconds.

After Near-Perfect Trajectory Maneuver, Parker Solar Probe On Course To Touch The Sun

Posted on 08/21/2018 10:15:14

At 6:07 a.m. EDT on Aug. 20, 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe successfully completed its first trajectory correction maneuver (known as TCM-1), achieving a near-perfect firing of its propulsion system and putting the spacecraft on course to “touch” the Sun.

The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA's Parker Solar Probe to touch the Sun, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Parker Solar Probe Marks First Mission Milestones on Voyage to Sun

Posted on 08/17/2018 10:40:23

Just two days after launch on Aug. 12, 2018, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe achieved several planned milestones toward full commissioning and operations, announced mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Maryland.

Parker Solar Probe begins its mission to unlock the mysteries of our star on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 with a ride atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket at Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Parker Solar Probe Launches on Historic Journey to Touch the Sun

Posted on 08/12/2018 05:57:17

Hours before the rise of the very star it will study, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe launched from Florida Sunday, Aug. 12 to begin its journey to the Sun, where it will undertake a landmark mission.

Launch Scrubbed; Next Attempt Aug. 12 at 3:31 a.m. ET

Posted on 08/11/2018 06:07:36

The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy carrying the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft was scrubbed today due to a violation of a launch limit, resulting in a hold. There was not enough time remaining in the window to recycle.

The ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket that will carry Parker Solar Probe on its mission to study the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Launch Now Targeted For 3:53 a.m., Aug. 11

Posted on 08/11/2018 02:06:47

The launch team is targeting 3:53 a.m. EDT for liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying NASA's Parker Solar Probe. The countdown is in progress at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, secured inside its payload fairing, was moved July 30, 2018, from nearby Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, to Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The following day, the spacecraft was lifted and attached to the top of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility.

Countdown to Launch: Parker Solar Probe's Path To Launch Pad

Posted on 08/09/2018 20:50:34

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, secured inside its payload fairing, was moved July 30, 2018, from nearby Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, to Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is lifted to the third stage rocket motor on July 11, 2018, at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida. In addition to using the largest operational launch vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, Parker Solar Probe will use a third stage rocket to gain the speed needed to reach the Sun, which takes 55 times more energy than reaching Mars.

Launch Week Begins for Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 08/08/2018 05:56:29

Teams preparing for launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe are beginning a busy week leading up to liftoff, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 11, at 3:33 a.m. EDT, the opening of a 65-minute window.

Parker Solar Probe, attached to its third stage rocket motor.

Parker Solar Probe Launch Window Extended to August 23

Posted on 08/02/2018 14:42:26

NASA and its mission partners have analyzed and approved an extended launch window for Parker Solar Probe until Aug. 23, 2018 (previously Aug. 19). The spacecraft is scheduled to launch no earlier than Aug.

Parker Solar Probe Prepares to Head Toward Launch Pad

Posted on 07/31/2018 11:31:00

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has cleared the final procedures in the clean room before its move to the launch pad, where it will be integrated onto its launch vehicle, a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy.

Parker Solar Probe, as seen in a cleanroom at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida on July 6, 2018

New NASA Rocket Ranch Podcast on Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 07/27/2018 10:51:12

Even though our Sun shines bright in the sky, it is shrouded in mystery. In this episode of NASA's Rocket Ranch podcast, we hear from Parker Solar Probe project scientist Nicky Fox, who explains how the mission will fly inside the Sun's atmosphere in order to unlock its many secrets.

Parker Solar Probe Instruments: IS☉IS

Posted on 07/25/2018 09:01:30

Take a tour of the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun—IS☉IS, pronounced ee-sis and including the symbol for the Sun in its acronym—on board Parker Solar Probe with Principal Investigator David McComas.

New Launch Date for Parker Solar Probe: Aug. 11, 2018

Posted on 07/24/2018 16:26:37

NASA and its mission partners are targeting Aug. 11 for the launch of the Parker Solar Probe mission to the Sun. The 45-minute launch window will open at 3:48 a.m. EDT. During final inspections following the encapsulation of the spacecraft, a small strip of foam was found inside the fairing and additional time is needed for inspection.

Artist’s concept of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun. Launching in 2018, Parker Solar Probe will provide new data on solar activity and make critical contributions to our ability to forecast major space-weather events that impact life on Earth.

July 20 Preview Briefing of Parker Solar Probe Mission

Posted on 07/20/2018 08:44:33

NASA will hold a preview briefing on the agency’s Parker Solar Probe at 1 p.m. EDT Friday, July 20. The event will air live on NASA Television, the agency’s website and Facebook Live.

Parker Solar Probe Launch No Earlier Than August 6

Posted on 07/18/2018 17:00:38

NASA now is targeting launch of the Parker Solar Probe no earlier than Aug. 6, 2018. Additional time was needed to evaluate the configuration of a cable clamp on the payload fairing.

Parker Solar Probe’s heat shield is made of two panels of superheated carbon-carbon composite sandwiching a lightweight 4.5-inch-thick carbon foam core. To reflect as much of the Sun’s energy away from the spacecraft as possible, the Sun-facing side of the heat shield is also sprayed with a specially formulated white coating.

Cutting-Edge Heat Shield Installed on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 07/05/2018 12:44:33

The launch of Parker Solar Probe, the mission that will get closer to the Sun than any human-made object has ever gone, is quickly approaching, and on June 27, 2018, Parker Solar Probe’s heat shield — called the Thermal Protection System, or TPS — was installed on the spacecraft.

New Launch Readiness Date for Parker Solar Probe: August 4, 2018

Posted on 06/15/2018 15:21:37

NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are now targeting launch of the agency’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. Originally scheduled to launch on July 31, additional time is needed to accommodate further software testing of spacecraft systems.

Power Up: Solar Arrays Installed on NASA’s Mission to Touch the Sun

Posted on 06/06/2018 15:15:31

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe depends on the Sun, not just as an object of scientific investigation, but also for the power that drives its instruments and systems. On Thursday, May 31, 2018, the spacecraft’s solar arrays were installed and tested.

A Parker Solar Probe team member from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory holds the memory card containing 1,137,202 names submitted by the public to travel to the Sun aboard the spacecraft. The card was installed on a plaque which was placed on the spacecraft on May 18, 2018, at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida. The plaque dedicated the mission to Eugene Parker, who first theorized the existence of the solar wind. Parker Solar Probe is the first NASA mission to be named for a living person.

More than 1.1 Million Names Installed on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 05/21/2018 11:15:59

Throughout its seven-year mission, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will swoop through the Sun’s atmosphere 24 times, getting closer to our star than any spacecraft has gone before. The spacecraft will carry more than scientific instruments on this historic journey – it will also hold more than 1.1 million names submitted by the public to go to the Sun.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is powered by two solar arrays, shown here on May 2, 2018, at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida.

Solar Power: Parker Solar Probe Tests Its Arrays

Posted on 05/07/2018 12:03:00

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe gets its power from the Sun, so the solar arrays that collect energy from our star need to be in perfect working order. This month, members of the mission team tested the arrays at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, to ensure the system performs as designed and provides power to the spacecraft during its historic mission to the Sun.

Participants received a certificate after they confirmed their submission.

More Than 1.1 Million Names Will Head to the Sun with Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 04/28/2018 15:43:26

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will carry 1,137,202 submitted and confirmed names on its journey to the Sun. Submissions opened on March 6, 2018, and closed on April 27 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Safe in the Shadow: Making Sure Solar Probe's Instruments Keep Cool

Posted on 04/27/2018 14:00:57

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is moved to a special stand and rotated down to a horizontal position on April 10 during pre-launch processing and testing at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, just outside Kennedy Space Center.

The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy that will carry Parker Solar Probe is raised at Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 17, 2018.

Parker Solar Probe’s Launch Vehicle Rises at Space Launch Complex 37

Posted on 04/26/2018 14:16:13

On the morning of Tuesday, April 17, 2018, crews from United Launch Alliance raised the 170-foot tall Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle – the largest and most powerful rocket currently used by NASA – at Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Parker Solar Probe’s heat shield, encased in a shipping container, is covered up for a rainy day of travel from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, on April 16, 2018.

Heat Shield Arrives in Florida

Posted on 04/24/2018 14:22:33

The Thermal Protection System — also known as the heat shield — for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe arrived in Titusville, Florida, on April 18, 2018, bringing it one step closer to reuniting with the spacecraft that will be the first to “touch” the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe – wrapped in protective plastic – is shown on March 29, 2018, as the lid is lowered onto its shipping container at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The spacecraft is shipped on its side to allow for more easy transport and to avoid height-related obstacles such as bridges. From Goddard, the probe was taken by truck to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and flown to Florida aboard a United States Air Force C-17.

NASA’s Mission to Touch the Sun Arrives in the Sunshine State

Posted on 04/06/2018 09:30:18

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for its launch to the Sun, scheduled for July 31, 2018. In the middle of the night on April 2, the spacecraft was driven from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to nearby Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Members of the Parker Solar Probe team prepare the spacecraft to be lifted from the Space Environment Simulator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on March 24, 2018. The spacecraft has spent eight weeks undergoing successful testing in the Space Environment Simulator to ensure that the mission will operate as planned during its seven-year long exploration of the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Space Environment Testing

Posted on 03/26/2018 15:35:00

Parker Solar Probe has completed its space environment testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and was lifted out of the thermal vacuum chamber on March 24, 2018, after just over two months inside.

Illustration of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the Sun.

Send Your Name to the Sun Aboard NASA's Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 03/06/2018 12:30:07

Want to get the hottest ticket this summer without standing in line?NASA is inviting people around the world to submit their names online to be placed on a microchip aboard NASA’s historic Parker Solar Probe mission launching in summer 2018.

Members of the Parker Solar Probe team prepare the spacecraft for space environment testing in the thermal vacuum chamber at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The thermal vacuum chamber duplicates the airless environment of space and simulates the cold and hot temperature cycles the spacecraft will endure during its seven-year exploration of the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe Begins Space Environment Testing

Posted on 01/30/2018 15:03:17

On Saturday, Jan. 27, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe began space environment testing, starting with the air being pumped out of the 40-foot-tall thermal vacuum chamber at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland where the spacecraft is currently housed.

Member of the NASA Parker Solar Probe team wheel the spacecraft – bagged to protect it from contamination – from its cleanroom at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., to the thermal vacuum chamber, where it will undergo approximately seven weeks of testing at extreme temperatures that will simulate the space environment.

Simulated Space: Parker Solar Probe Enters Thermal Vacuum Testing

Posted on 01/17/2018 17:30:25

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe was lowered into the 40-foot-tall thermal vacuum chamber at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The spacecraft will remain in the chamber for about seven weeks, coming out in mid-March for final tests and packing before heading to Florida.

2017

Coordinated Science: Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter (AGU 2017 Fall Meeting Presentation)

Posted on 12/28/2017 10:57:21

Watch this presentation on how NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter missions will study the Sun separately and combine their science findings to give us an unprecedented understanding of our star.

Moving Day: Parker Solar Probe Travels from APL to NASA Goddard

Posted on 12/19/2017 10:31:51

How do you prepare to move the first spacecraft to touch the Sun? Same way you would move anything else: carefully wrap it, pack it in a large container, and perform a nitrogen purge.

The Parker Solar Probe team at Johns Hopkins APL prepares to lift the heat shield, called the Thermal Protection System (TPS), in preparation for shipment to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for further environmental testing.

Parker Solar Probe's Heat Shield Enters Thermal Vacuum Testing

Posted on 12/15/2017 10:08:17

To protect NASA's Parker Solar Probe from the intense heat of the Sun's atmosphere, scientists and engineers developed a revolutionary Thermal Protection System, or TPS. This heat shield, made of carbon-carbon composite material, will experience temperatures of almost 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 Celsius) as the spacecraft hurtles through the solar atmosphere, while keeping the instruments on the spacecraft at approximately room temperature.The heat shield recently moved from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (APL) in Laurel, Maryland to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt to undergo testing in their large Thermal Vacuum Chamber.

Parker Solar Probe team members use lasers to ensure that the spacecraft's solar arrays have survived harsh environmental testing and are operating correctly.

Purple Gaze: Parker Solar Probe's Solar Arrays Pass Laser Illumination Testing

Posted on 12/06/2017 11:31:00

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe passed laser illumination testing the week of Nov. 27, 2017. During this test, each segment of the spacecraft’s solar panels was illuminated with lasers to check that they were still electrically connected after the vigorous vibration and acoustic testing completed earlier this fall.

Members of the integration and testing team roll Parker Solar Probe into the Acoustic Test Chamber at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Sound Effects: Parker Solar Probe Passes Acoustic Testing

Posted on 11/16/2017 14:30:43

When NASA’s Parker Solar Probe lifts off on top of a Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle in summer 2018, it will undergo both intense vibration from the physical forces of the rocket engines, as well as acoustic effects from the sound of the engines and the rocket going through the atmosphere.

Parker Solar Probe Project Scientist Nicky Fox of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab is interviewed at NASA Headquarters about the Sun and the mission for the new “Gravity Assist” podcast that launched Nov. 15, 2017.

New NASA Podcast "Gravity Assist" Debuts with Guest Dr. Nicola Fox

Posted on 11/15/2017 15:50:47

“Gravity Assist,” a new NASA weekly podcast series, launches Wednesday on NASA.gov and the SoundCloud and iTunes audio platforms. This initial 10-part series, with plans for future episodes, features top scientists from around the world guiding listeners on a tour through our galactic neighborhood as they explore the wonders of the solar system and beyond.

Parker Solar Probe Time-Lapse Video: Moving from Johns Hopkins APL to NASA Goddard

Posted on 11/13/2017 12:24:46

Time-lapse video shows the packing up and moving of the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, to NASA'S Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.

Parker Solar Probe Arrives at NASA Goddard

Posted on 11/07/2017 14:03:57

On Monday, November 6, NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft arrived at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland - a short drive from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, where the spacecraft was designed and built.

Wrapped and Ready for Transport

Posted on 11/03/2017 12:29:18

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe – shown in protective bagging to prevent contamination, and mounted on a rotating pedestal – is getting ready for its trip from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab to Goddard Space Flight Center to continue environmental testing.

Engineers and technicians at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab closely monitor vibration testing of NASA's Parker Solar Probe. The spacecraft is attached to a shaker table, which simulates the intense physical forces of launch and powered flight.

Parker Solar Probe Completes Launch Simulation Vibration Testing

Posted on 11/03/2017 08:59:03

To ensure that NASA's Parker Solar Probe will be able to withstand the physical stresses of launch, engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory – where the probe was designed and is being integrated and tested – used a special device called a shaker table to simulate the forces of being hurled into space.

Engineers and technicians prepare the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft for mass properties testing. This marks the beginning of environmental testing, a series of physical tests that will ensure the probe can withstand the rigors of launch and temperature fluctuations of space operations.

Parker Solar Probe Successfully Completes Pre-Environmental Testing Review

Posted on 10/13/2017 10:50:13

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, the first mission to fly into the Sun’s corona, has successfully completed a review that approves the beginning of the spacecraft’s environmental testing.

Parker Solar Probe is about to be launched... into a gentle arc. By swinging the probe past magnetometers, the team can characterize the spacecraft's own magnetic field.

Swing Time: Parker Solar Probe Passes Magnetic Swing Test

Posted on 10/06/2017 12:37:49

As NASA's Parker Solar Probe continues through its careful construction process, the spacecraft – built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland – is approaching the final stages and running through a battery of tests to ensure it will be ready for its groundbreaking mission to the Sun next summer.

Johns Hopkins APL's Betsy Congdon (left) and NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen, head of the agency's Science Mission Directorate, at the Parker Solar Probe renaming event at the University of Chicago in May. The augmented reality spacecraft model is visible at left.

Parker Solar Probe Uses An Improved “Reality” for Building Spacecraft

Posted on 10/05/2017 12:23:49

New augmented reality technology developed by NASA allows the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft team to explore, rehearse, and perfect their fabrication and integration procedures—all in an immersive digital environment.

Eugene Parker, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, visits the spacecraft that bears his name, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, where the probe was designed and is being built. The large black structure is one of the spacecraft's massive cooling radiators. The spacecraft is humanity’s first mission to a star – it will travel directly through the Sun’s atmosphere.

Eugene Parker Meets Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 10/03/2017 15:31:39

On Tuesday, October 3, 2017, Eugene N. Parker, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, visited the spacecraft that bears his name: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. This is the first NASA mission that has been named for a living researcher, and is humanity’s first mission to the Sun.

On Sept. 21, 2017, engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, lowered the thermal protection system – the heat shield – onto the spacecraft for a test of alignment as part of integration and testing.

Thermal Protection System Installed for Testing

Posted on 09/30/2017 07:38:10

On Sept. 21, 2017, engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, lowered the thermal protection system – the heat shield – onto the spacecraft for a test of alignment as part of integration and testing.

Facebook Live from the Parker Solar Probe Clean Room: Video

Posted on 09/25/2017 09:41:56

Rewatch the Facebook Live as NASA took us on a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Parker Solar Probe! Come inside the clean room at Johns Hopkins APL and learn more about this historic mission, the revolutionary spacecraft, and the people who are making it possible https://www.facebook.com/NAS

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core arrives at the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for preflight processing. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA’s upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission.

Final Rocket Components Arrive in Florida for Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 09/12/2017 12:55:33

All components of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket that will launch NASA’s Parker Solar Probe have arrived for prelaunch processing at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Framed by a series of cabbage palms, a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core is transported by truck to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 37 Horizontal Processing Facility after arriving at Port Canaveral. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA’s upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission.

From NASA: Delta IV Heavy Booster Cores Arrive for Parker Solar Probe

Posted on 08/03/2017 11:56:00

Launch preparations are beginning to get off the ground for NASA’s upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission, scheduled to lift off in summer 2018 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket.

The solar array cooling system for the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft—one element of which is the large, square black radiator visible at center, one of two that will be installed—is shown undergoing thermal testing at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland in late February.

Cool Power

Posted on 06/21/2017 09:00:23

As NASA’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft begins its first historic encounter with the sun’s corona in late 2018—flying closer to our star than any other mission in history—a revolutionary cooling system will keep its solar arrays at peak performance, even in extremely hostile conditions.Every instrument and system on board Parker Solar Probe (with the exception of four antennas and a special particle detector) will be hidden from the sun behind a breakthrough thermal protection system (TPS)—an eight-foot diameter shield that the spacecraft uses to defend itself against the intense heat and energy of our star.

NASA’s first mission to go to the sun, the Parker Solar Probe, is named after Eugene Parker who first theorized that the sun constantly sends out a flow of particles and energy called the solar wind.

NASA Renames Solar Probe Mission to Honor Pioneering Physicist Eugene Parker

Posted on 05/31/2017 11:30:00

CHICAGO – NASA has renamed the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft – humanity’s first mission to a star, which will launch in 2018 – as the Parker Solar Probe in honor of astrophysicist Eugene Parker.

NASA to Make Announcement About First Mission to Touch Sun

Posted on 05/26/2017 08:46:46

NASA will make an announcement about the agency’s first mission to fly directly into our sun’s atmosphere during an event at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, May 31, from the University of Chicago’s William Eckhardt Research Center Auditorium.

An APL technician prepares the Energetic Particle Instrument-Low Energy (EPI-Lo) for installation on NASA’s Solar Probe Plus spacecraft.

Tuning Up: Solar Probe Plus Gets its First Science Instrument

Posted on 05/17/2017 07:32:31

With a few electrical connections and several turns of a wrench, Solar Probe Plus had its first onboard scientific instrument. The EPI-Lo particle detector – half of the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun instrument suite – was installed on the spacecraft on April 17 at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland.

Mission integration and test team members secure the deck holding the structure assembly and several other critical thermal-protection components atop NASA’s Solar Probe Plus spacecraft body on April 5, 2017, in the cleanroom at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

Decked Out: Solar Array Cooling System Coming Together on Solar Probe Plus

Posted on 04/19/2017 13:58:23

The Solar Array Cooling System on Solar Probe Plus has one critical job – to protect the NASA spacecraft’s solar arrays from incineration as it moves through the blazing atmosphere of the sun.

Solar Probe Plus Project Scientist Dr. Nicola Fox at TEDxJHU

Posted on 03/10/2017 18:48:13

Solar Probe Plus Project Scientist Dr. Nicola Fox at TEDxJHU was live on Facebook (@1:03) on March 11,2017.

Solar Probe Plus Featured on Discovery 'Facebook Live'

Posted on 02/08/2017 11:04:49

Solar Probe Plus Project Scientist Nicky Fox, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), was featured in a Discovery Channel Facebook Live event on Feb. 8, 2017.

Project Scientist Nicky Fox points out features on the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft during her Dec. 13 flash talk at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

At International Meeting, Mission Team Previews the Science of Solar Probe Plus

Posted on 01/05/2017 13:41:46

The science of Solar Probe Plus – NASA’s first mission to “touch” the sun – was on stage last month at the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting in San Francisco. With some 25,000 attendees, representing nearly 100 countries, AGU’s Fall Meeting is the world’s largest Earth and space science conference.

2016

Engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, prepare the developing Solar Probe Plus spacecraft for thermal vacuum tests that simulate conditions in space. Today the spacecraft includes the primary structure and its propulsion system; still to be installed over the next several months are critical systems such as power, communications and thermal protection, as well as science instruments.

NASA's Solar Probe Plus Mission Moves One Step Closer to Launch

Posted on 07/29/2016 09:46:39

NASA's Solar Probe Plus – the first mission that will fly into sun's upper atmosphere and “touch” the sun – has passed a design review, an important milestone leading to its anticipated summer 2018 launch.

2015

Artist rendering of Solar Probe Plus, solar panels folded into the shadows of its protective shield, as it gathers data on its approach to the Sun.

NASA Gives Green Light for APL to Begin Building Solar Probe Plus

Posted on 04/08/2015 12:37:00

NASA’s Solar Probe Plus mission - which will fly closer to the Sun than any spacecraft has before- reached a major milestone last month when it successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR).

2014

Technicians at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., prepare an engineering model of the Solar Probe Plus Thermal Protection System, or TPS, for vibration tests in October 2013. The main feature of the TPS is an 8-foot-diameter, 4.5-inch-thick, carbon-carbon, carbon foam shield that will sit atop the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft body. The system will protect Solar Probe Plus from temperatures exceeding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and impacts from hypervelocity dust particles as it flies through the sun’s outer atmosphere. The vibration tests simulate the shaking the spacecraft will undergo during launch; Solar Probe Plus is scheduled to launch in 2018.

Solar Probe Plus Moves into Advanced Development

Posted on 03/18/2014 09:26:32

Solar Probe Plus — NASA’s ambitious mission to fly through and examine the sun’s atmosphere — has reached a key stage of development. Solar Probe Plus will begin advanced design, development and testing — a step NASA designates as Phase C — following a successful design review in which an independent assessment board deemed that the mission team, led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., was ready to move ahead with full-scale spacecraft fabrication, assembly, integration and testing.

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