Will Get Closer To Sun Than Any Craft Has Been
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe was scheduled to perform its final Venus gravity assist maneuver and pass within 233 miles (376 km) of the planet’s surface. The slingshot adjusts the probe’s orbit such that it will swoop to within 3.86 million miles of the Sun’s surface on December 24, 2024. It will be the closest any human-made object has ever been to the Sun. Amazingly, the objective of this mission was first conceived 65 years ago, and Parker’s data will most definitely be charting as-yet uncharted territory.