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Many of us here in the U.S. had an opportunity to witness the first solar eclipse

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visible here in almost a hundred years.

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During a total solar eclipse you can see the outer, hazy atmosphere around the Sun or the corona.

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And you can see it with your naked eye.

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Now this corona is actually hotter than the surface of the Sun – over 300 times hotter.

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Now just imagine flying a spacecraft through that region

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and taking data at the same time.

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Sound like science fiction?

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Not anymore.

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It’s soon to be a reality.

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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission is about to embark on a historic journey

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to our very own star – the Sun.

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At the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland,

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the spacecraft is currently being built and tested to get ready for launch in the summer of 2018.

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Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA’s Living With a Star Program

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to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society.

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This truly is a mission of extremes.

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Hurtling at breathtaking speeds through the Sun’s atmosphere,

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closer to the surface than any spacecraft before it,

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facing brutal heat and radiation conditions,

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and ultimately providing humanity with the first ever close-up view of a star.

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So when you check out a solar eclipse and you see that corona,

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think Parker Solar Probe and the mission launching soon to touch the Sun.

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You can follow the adventure with us at solarprobe.jhuapl.edu.

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