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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe passed laser illumination testing the week of Nov. 27, 2017. During this test, each segment of the spacecraft’s solar panels was illuminated with lasers to check that they were still electrically connected after the vigorous vibration and acoustic testing completed earlier this fall. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is in the midst of intense environmental testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in preparation for its journey to the Sun. These tests have simulated the noise and shaking the spacecraft will experience during its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, scheduled for July 31, 2018.Parker Solar Probe’s integration and testing team must check over the spacecraft and systems to make sure everything is still in optimal working condition after experiencing these rigorous conditions – including a check of the solar arrays, which will provide electrical power to the spacecraft.Parker Solar Probe will explore the Sun s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman

Hot plasma leaps from the sun in stunning HD. Viewing the event at multiple wavelengths reveals plasma of different temperatures in the solar eruption. At 4096 by 4096 pixels, SDO takes some of the largest images of the sun that the world plasma (dark green) rises in the solar atmosphere. Earth is shown in approximate scale to a previous solar eruption that took place on Mar. 30, 2010. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/dark-fireworks.html)