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Next for NASA: Visiting the Sun

Solar Probe Plus to launch before 2018

By Kate Schwartz,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 3, 2010 7:12 AM CDT

(Newser) – NASA's plans for this decade are pretty hot. Literally. The agency plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft before 2018 that will enter the Sun's atmosphere. Though the nearest it will get is about four million miles from the Sun's surface, that's still closer than the US has ever gotten, and should help to unlock decades-old mysteries—specifically, says a NASA director, "why is the sun’s outer atmosphere so much hotter than the sun’s visible surface and what propels the solar wind that affects Earth and our solar system?”

The project, dubbed Solar Probe Plus, will use a spacecraft that can withstand both intense radiation and temperatures of 2550 degrees Fahrenheit, reports Mashable.

This image provided by NASA shows an eruptive prominence blasting away from the sun ... looks scary to us.
This image provided by NASA shows an eruptive prominence blasting away from the sun ... looks scary to us.   (AP Photo/NASA)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 12 comments
JohnEd
Sep 3, 2010 11:12 PM CDT
Now we can prove the sun is hot!
JonmarkP
Sep 3, 2010 9:49 AM CDT
George Bush had a work around for the sun's terrible heat - he was going to send them at night.
JoeQ
Sep 3, 2010 9:09 AM CDT
Where is NASA's vision? We need to send a manned mission. I want to see humans walk on the Sun.

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