NASA has sent many different spacecrafts and space probes into space over the years, such as the ACE project, which collects samples from deep space and sends data back for scientists to study, and the ABLE 1(Pioneer 0), which was the first space probe to visit the moon.  The NASA Parker Solar Probe, launched on August 12, 2018, has broken the speed record for the fastest man-made object ever. Since 2018 when it was launched, it has been picking up speed rapidly as it orbits the sun. 

This phenomenal achievement was only possible because of the gravity of the sun. The probe orbits the sun at a whopping 394,736 mph, and it increases in speed for every second that goes by. The probe will occasionally pass by other planets’ gravitational fields to change the directory of the orbit so that it will not run directly into the sun. These were planned and the scientists controlling the operation are moving the probe towards these planets on purpose.

The Parker Solar Probe costs, in total, 1.5 billion US dollars, and weighs around 1,510 pounds. There is a hydrazine tank on the probe that allows for basic movement and controls where the probe is facing. These tanks alone cannot change the direction of the probe, as the force needed would be tremendous because the Parker Solar Probe is traveling just under 400,000 mph. This is why it passes through other planets’ gravitational fields; it provides enough force to change the directory of the probe. 

The most recent planet that the probe passed by was Venus. It was a very small adjustment and the interaction with the gravitational field was very brief, but it made all the difference in preventing the probe from burning up in the sun.

The goal of the Parker Solar Probe is to get as close to the sun’s surface as possible without burning up so that scientists can study the sun in more detail than ever before. The probe flies 4 million miles from the sun’s surface through the Sun's Corona, which is the outermost atmosphere. The corona is much hotter than the sun’s surface. The corona is around 1 million degrees Celsius while the surface of the sun is only around 5,500 degrees Celsius. Scientists believe that the corona is so much hotter than the sun’s surface because of the explosions that happen in the corona from solar flares.

The Parker Solar Probe will give scientists valuable information about the sun and how the Earth may be able to be better protected from solar flares and other space weather phenomena in the future. It will also help scientists to better understand how stars work and why they act the way they do. Currently, it is giving scientists valuable information on solar flares and how we can prepare for them. It will also allow scientists to predict when dangerous solar flares will occur.