Hours before the rise of the very star it will study, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe launched from Florida Sunday to begin its journey to the Sun, where it will undertake a landmark mission. The spacecraft will transmit its first science observations in December, beginning a revolution in our understanding of the star that makes life on Earth possible.

The mission’s findings will help researchers improve their forecasts of space weather events, which have the potential to damage satellites and harm astronauts on orbit, disrupt radio communications and, at their most severe, overwhelm power grids.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-ula-launch-parker-solar-probe-on-historic-journey-to-touch-sun

Edited August 12, 20187 yr by Itoero

The probe has already set two new records - for the speed of movement of the man-made spacecraft 393 044 km / h and for temperature - the protective screen, under which all scientific instruments are located, heated up to 612 ° С, while its interior and scientific equipment remained at the temperature about 30 ° C.