2023-10-21 03:00:00
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NASA’s “Parker Solar Probe” is not only the fastest space probe. It also holds the record for the closest distance to the sun.
Washington DC – Machines built by humans – such as cars, airplanes and motorcycles – are constantly setting new speed records. The speeds at which they move can be breathtaking. The fastest cars reach speeds of over 500 km/h, while fighter jets can even reach supersonic speeds of more than 1188 kilometers per hour.
But compared to the space probes whizzing through the universe, these speeds seem downright ridiculous. For example, the spacecraft of the moon mission “Apollo 10” reached a speed of almost 40,000 km/h on its return flight to Earth. The space probes “Helios 1” and “Helios 2” – a joint project of the American and German Space travel – reached speeds of almost 253,000 km/h relative to the sun in the 1970s and 1980s.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft is orbiting the sun at record speeds. (Artist’s impression) © imago images/ZUMA Press
NASA’s space probe is racing around the sun at incredible speeds
But since 2020, a new space probe has held the speed record in space: the NASA solar probe “Parker Solar Probe”. In February 2020, the probe orbited the sun at a speed of an incredible 393,044 km/h. However, this record has already been surpassed by the “Parker Solar Probe” itself: Since September 2023, the NASA probe has been considered the fastest man-made object with a speed of more than 635,000 kilometers per hour.
More precisely, “Parker Solar Probe” races around the sun at 635,266 km/h, so die Nasa. To gain momentum, the probe orbited the planet Venus and used its gravity in a so-called “flyby” maneuver.
“Parker Solar Probe” comes closest to the sun
Along with the speed record, the NASA probe set another record: At a distance of only 7.26 million kilometers from the sun, “Parker Solar Probe” raced past the sun on September 27, 2023 – a previously unattainable record.
The launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. (Archive image) © imago/ZUMA Press
Of course, the NASA mission is not about breaking speed records. In fact, the probe is exploring the sun and has already revealed some secrets. For example, the mystery of the solar wind was solved. “Parker Solar Probe” flies, among other things, through the solar atmosphere, the corona, to collect new data for science. (tab)
Machine assistance was used for this article written by the editorial team. The article was carefully checked by editor Tanja Banner before publication.
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