Not only were we hit with the news that the first-ever luxury hotel will open in Space in the future, but now NASA is on the mission to touch the sun. It seems impossible and ~super dangerous~ but there's a game plan that has been in the works for years!
The independent agency is planning on launching a spacecraft on the Parker Solar Probe by the end of July 2018. The purpose of this seven-year mission is to explore the sun and answer many questions that astronomers have about it, such as how to treat satellites and other spacecraft already on space.
NASA's game plan, according to Spaceflight News, is to "fly at a distance of four million miles from the sun in an orbit which enables it to explore the surface of the sun. The spacecraft will face the radiation and the heat of the sun unlike any other craft ever launched before."
Named after Eugene Parker, the first person to predict solar wind, the mission has been in the talks since the 1950s. Spaceflight News reports that currently, "instruments are being tested to ensure that they will withstand the temperatures near the sun as it is expected to orbit around the sun 24 times with it being near the sun in 2024."
And of course, NASA plans to broadcast live the entire expedition in real time on TV and their website. Will you tune in?
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