Parker Solar Probe

Quick Facts: Who was Parker Solar Probe?

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Parker Solar Probe

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NASA probe studying the Sun's outer corona, achieving record solar proximity.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; previously Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus or Solar Probe+) is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 to make observations of the Sun's outer corona. It used repeated gravity assists from Venus to develop an eccentric orbit, approaching within 9.86 solar radii (6.9 million km or 4.3 million miles) from the center of the Sun. At its closest approach in 2024, its speed relative to the Sun was 690,000 km/h (430,000 mph) or 191 km/s (118.7 mi/s), which is 0.064% the speed of light.

Career & Major Achievements

It is the fastest object ever built on Earth. The project was announced in the 2009 budget year. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory designed and built the spacecraft, which was launched on August 12, 2018.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

It became the first NASA spacecraft named after a living person, honoring the physicist Eugene Newman Parker, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago. On October 29, 2018, at about 18:04 UTC, the spacecraft became the closest ever artificial object to the Sun. The previous record, 42.73 million kilometers (26.55 million miles) from the Sun's surface, was set by the Helios 2 spacecraft in April 1976.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1976: 1976 Milestone — 55 million miles) from the Sun's surface, was set by the Helios 2 spacecraft in April 1976.
2. 2009: 2009 Milestone — The project was announced in the 2009 budget year.
3. 2018: 2018 Milestone — The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; previously Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus or Solar Probe+) is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 to make observations of the Sun's outer corona.
4. 2024: 2024 Milestone — At its closest approach in 2024, its speed relative to the Sun was 690,000 km/h (430,000 mph) or 191 km/s (118.

Notable Quotes by Parker Solar Probe

“The Parker Solar Probe is a testament to human ingenuity and our relentless curiosity about the cosmos.” (2018)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Parker Solar Probe

True or False: “The Parker Solar Probe is the fastest object ever built on Earth.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): The probe's speed relative to the Sun, reaching hundreds of thousands of km/h, makes it the fastest object ever constructed and operated by humanity.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Alan Bean — Historical peer (Died in 2018) (2018): American astronaut, naval officer, and lunar explorer who walked on the Moon.
• Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud — Historical peer (Died in 2024) (2024): Somaliland politician, served as President from 2010 to 2017.
• Akira Toriyama — Historical peer (Died in 2024) (2024): Pioneering manga artist, creator of Dr. Slump and the global phenomenon, Dragon Ball.
• Aage Bohr — Historical peer (Died in 2009) (2009): Pioneering Danish nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate for atomic structure theory.
• Abdurrahman Wahid — Historical peer (Died in 2009) (2009): Influential Indonesian politician, Islamic leader, and fourth President known for pluralism.
• A Day at the Races (album) — Historical peer (Born in 1976) (1976): Queen's fifth studio album, a companion piece to A Night at the Opera.
• Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani — Historical peer (Died in 1976) (1976): Bangladeshi statesman and founder of the Awami League, known for advocating for the poor.

Frequently Asked Questions about Parker Solar Probe