奇速英语

NASA：帕克探测器近距离“接触”太阳

In August of 2018, NASA launched(发射) the Parker Solar Probe, the first human spacecraft(航天器) to “touch” the Sun, to learn more about what goes on in the Sun’s corona. The corona is the outer atmosphere(大气) of the Sun. If you imagine a simple drawing of the Sun as a yellow ball with lines coming out of it, the corona is the part where the lines are.

The corona is far hotter than the surface of the Sun itself. Scientists are trying to understand why. In order to work so close to the Sun, the probe is protected by special, thick material. This allows it to keep cool inside, even when the heat is as high as 2,500 ℃.

In April, on its eighth trip around the Sun, the probe actually entered the Sun’s corona. It flew through the corona for about five hours. Later, the probe flew in and out of the corona several more times.

On its first trip through the corona, the probe was traveling at about 223,200 mph. At its closest, the probe was about 10.5 million kilometers above the surface of the Sun. Though this happened in April, it took months for the information to reach Earth and for scientists to confirm it.

Scientists are looking forward to learning more as the probe enters the corona in the future. Its next trip into the corona will be in January of 2022. In 2025, the probe will go even closer — 6. 16 million kilometers from the Sun’s surface. And it is expected to end its planned mission(飞行任务) in the same year.