NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is set to make history with its closest approach to the sun today, coming within just 3.8 million miles. This marks the first time a human-made spacecraft has ventured this close to the sun.
Traveling at an astonishing speed of 430,000 miles per hour, the unmanned probe is moving fast enough to journey from Washington, D.C. to Tokyo in under a minute. As a result, the Parker Solar Probe will officially become the fastest man-made object ever created.
Launched in 2018, the Parker Solar Probe’s mission is to study the sun’s atmosphere and gather critical data to help scientists understand solar phenomena more deeply.
This groundbreaking milestone continues NASA’s exploration of our solar system, providing unprecedented insight into our closest star.
