LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Sci-tech

NASA's spacecraft breaks record for closest approach to Sun

1
2018-10-31 14:36:31Xinhua Editor : Gu Liping ECNS App Download

The United States space agency NASA announced Tuesday that its Parker Solar Probe has become the spacecraft which got closest to the Sun.

The spacecraft passed the current record of 26.55 million miles (42.73 million km) from the Sun's surface on Monday, at about 1:04 p.m. EDT (1704 GMT), as calculated by the Parker Solar Probe team, according to an online statement of NASA.

"It's been just 78 days since Parker Solar Probe launched, and we've now come closer to our star than any other spacecraft in history ... It's a proud moment for the team," said Andy Driesman, project manager for the mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

The previous record for closest solar approach was at a distance of 43.432 million km, set by the German-American Helios 2 spacecraft in April 1976.

The Parker Solar Probe will begin its first solar encounter on Wednesday, and will continue flying closer until it reaches the point closest to the Sun on Nov. 5.

According to NASA, Parker's heat shield is made of a 4.5-inch (11.43-cm) thick carbon composite foam material between two carbon fiber face sheets.

The spacecraft blasted off on Aug. 12 on humans' first close visit to a star and is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the Sun.

  

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
Biz
Economy
Travel
Travel News
Travel Types
Events
Food
Hotel
Bar & Club
Architecture
Gallery
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Learning Chinese
Learn About China
Social Chinese
Business Chinese
Buzz Words
Bilingual
Resources
ECNS Wire
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.