NASA is sending a probe to the Sun! Solar Probe Plus will come the closest to the Sun probes have ever gotten! Fun Facts Solar Probe Plus will orbit the Sun 24 times, gradually "walking in" toward the Sun with each pass. The closest points of each orbit come well within orbit of Mercury the closest planet to the Sun. On the final three orbits, Solar Probe Plus will fly to within 8.5 solar radii of the Sun's "surface" 8.5 solar radii is 8.5 times the radius of the Sun, or about 3.7 million miles. That is about seven times closer than the current record-holder for a close solar pass, the Helios spacecraft. At closest approach, Solar Probe Plus will be hurtling around the Sun at approximately 450,000 miles per hour! That's fast enough to get from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., in one second. Solar Probe Plus will pass Venus less than two months after launch and will be collecting science data at its first solar pass just one month later. At closest approach to the Sun, while the front of Solar Probe Plus' solar shield faces temperatures approaching 2,500 Fahrenheit, the spacecraft's payload will be near room temperature. Looks simple enough...I will be watching in 2018!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |