By Sadiq Al Gobahi 
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has achieved another milestone in its mission to study the sun. On November 6, 2024, the probe completed its seventh and final gravity assist maneuver around Venus, setting it up for a record-breaking approach to the sun1. The spacecraft passed within 233 miles (376 kilometers) of Venus’s surface, using the planet’s gravity to adjust its trajectory and increase its speed.
The Parker Solar Probe is now on track to enter its final orbit around the sun on December 24, 2024. During this close approach, the probe will come within an unprecedented 3.86 million miles (6.12 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface1. This will be the closest any human-made object has ever been to the sun, surpassing the previous record set by the probe itself in 2023.
The mission aims to study the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere, known as the corona, to better understand solar activity and its impact on Earth. The probe’s instruments, including the Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR), have captured stunning images of Venus’s surface through its thick cloud cover1. These images provide valuable data on the planet’s physical and chemical properties.
As the Parker Solar Probe continues its journey, scientists are excited about the wealth of information it will gather about the sun and its environment. The mission is expected to continue until 2025, providing unprecedented insights into our star’s behavior and its influence on the solar system1.
For more details, you can read the full article on ABC News.
Osama