https://phys.org/news/2024-12-nasa-probe-closest-sun.html
So it came within 3.8 million miles from the sun, a distance that compared to Earth, which is about 8.8 solar radii VS 215 solar radii which is 24 times closer so 24 squared is about 600 so solar radiance in Earth obit (above the atmosphere) is about 1361 watts per square meter or 127 watts per square foot, take your pick so that says there is about 600 times the energy hitting the probe or 816 Kilowatts per square meter or 76 Kw per square foot.
It was also going by at 688,000 kilometers per hour or 191 km per second or in miles, 430,000 miles per hour or about 120 miles per second, the fastest object ever sent in space.
Right now it is out of contact with Earth because that close approach was behind the sun so no radio, but in a few days it will report back if all went well.
This is quite the feat from several standpoints, the heat shields are doing a good job of hiding that amount of heat from the main craft and the velocity it is running by the sun at.
It will give close up data never before before collected.
@moonbus saidBut the Chinese are in there kicking too, they just got a sample and retrieve on Earth from the moon, they have probes on the back side of the moon and they have produced new science in that regard, sample and return is no easy trick but they did it.
@sonhouse
Thanks for the heads-up. If there is one thing Americans are still good at, it's cutting edge space research.