1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,570 (dramatic music) 2 00:00:01,570 --> 00:00:02,850 It's a journey to the center 3 00:00:02,850 --> 00:00:03,993 of our solar system, 4 00:00:05,290 --> 00:00:06,870 a mission to gather information 5 00:00:06,870 --> 00:00:09,533 about the most critical celestial body in the sky, 6 00:00:10,420 --> 00:00:11,740 our star, 7 00:00:11,740 --> 00:00:12,573 the sun. 8 00:00:19,949 --> 00:00:21,890 (mysterious music) 9 00:00:21,890 --> 00:00:25,710 September 1st, 2019, marked the third perihelion 10 00:00:25,710 --> 00:00:27,593 for NASA's Parker Solar Probe. 11 00:00:28,780 --> 00:00:32,030 That's the closest point to the sun during one orbit, 12 00:00:32,030 --> 00:00:34,880 the distance of about 15 million miles. 13 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,423 This time tying it's own record, 14 00:00:38,370 --> 00:00:40,863 closer than any spacecraft has ever been. 15 00:00:44,340 --> 00:00:45,750 We're going to go closer to the sun 16 00:00:45,750 --> 00:00:48,140 than any other spacecraft's gone before. 17 00:00:48,140 --> 00:00:51,140 We're not gonna do that once, we're not gonna do it twice, 18 00:00:51,140 --> 00:00:53,490 we're gonna do that 24 times 19 00:00:53,490 --> 00:00:54,873 and that is terrifying. 20 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,760 To be sure, the Parker Solar Probe already has 21 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,693 and will continue to explore uncharted territory, 22 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,130 getting closer and closer 23 00:01:07,130 --> 00:01:09,910 during its planned two dozen passes, 24 00:01:09,910 --> 00:01:12,550 ultimately entering the sun's outer atmosphere, 25 00:01:12,550 --> 00:01:13,753 known as the corona. 26 00:01:14,950 --> 00:01:18,973 A maneuver some are calling touching, or kissing, the sun. 27 00:01:21,290 --> 00:01:23,600 To achieve that the spacecraft will fly 28 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,320 by Venus seven times using the planet's gravity 29 00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:29,670 to slow down, alter its trajectory 30 00:01:29,670 --> 00:01:31,503 and tighten its solar orbit. 31 00:01:33,620 --> 00:01:35,560 If all goes according to plan, 32 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,260 nearly seven years after its mission began, 33 00:01:38,260 --> 00:01:42,330 the probe will eventually swoop within 3.8 million miles 34 00:01:42,330 --> 00:01:43,653 of the sun's surface. 35 00:01:44,830 --> 00:01:48,713 That's 96% closer than our location here on Earth. 36 00:01:50,230 --> 00:01:52,480 We are counting our success 37 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,320 and longevity of the spacecraft 38 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:57,553 to be able to accomplish that. 39 00:01:57,553 --> 00:01:59,820 But you know, it's our own star 40 00:01:59,820 --> 00:02:02,363 and it's the first mission to a star. 41 00:02:03,890 --> 00:02:05,590 The mission amazes even the man 42 00:02:05,590 --> 00:02:08,690 it's named after, Eugene Parker, 43 00:02:08,690 --> 00:02:12,160 the physicist who first theorized about the solar wind, 44 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,240 the steady stream of charged particles emanating outward 45 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,773 from the sun throughout the planetary system and beyond. 46 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,450 This is a journey into Never Never Land, you might say. 47 00:02:25,450 --> 00:02:29,950 Where it's too hot for any sensible spacecraft to function, 48 00:02:29,950 --> 00:02:32,610 but some very clever engineering 49 00:02:32,610 --> 00:02:35,160 and construction has succeeded 50 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,143 in making what looks like a very workable instrument. 51 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,238 A $1.5 billion, 52 00:02:42,238 --> 00:02:45,500 1,400-pound tool designed to collect data 53 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:48,519 to help us better comprehend the mechanics of the sun. 54 00:02:48,519 --> 00:02:49,950 (flare booms) 55 00:02:49,950 --> 00:02:51,590 We don't understand the sun. 56 00:02:51,590 --> 00:02:52,610 And when we look at it 57 00:02:52,610 --> 00:02:55,130 we're trying to figure out how does it work? 58 00:02:55,130 --> 00:02:57,530 And a lot of that is how does it work so 59 00:02:57,530 --> 00:02:59,273 we know how it affects us. 60 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,680 Like explosive, coronal mass ejections 61 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:05,630 and the causes of space weather, 62 00:03:05,630 --> 00:03:08,420 which can disrupt Earth's satellite systems 63 00:03:08,420 --> 00:03:10,400 and telecommunications, 64 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:12,723 the nervous system of today's modern life. 65 00:03:14,510 --> 00:03:16,830 If you have large amounts of this charged material 66 00:03:16,830 --> 00:03:18,540 coming into the Earth's atmosphere, 67 00:03:18,540 --> 00:03:20,890 it can actually disrupt power grids. 68 00:03:20,890 --> 00:03:21,960 It can blow them out. 69 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,520 So basically, it can introduce surges of power 70 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:26,030 into our power grids 71 00:03:26,030 --> 00:03:28,653 and take down large power grids across the world. 72 00:03:29,855 --> 00:03:32,522 (ominous music) 73 00:03:35,710 --> 00:03:37,540 It's happened before, 74 00:03:37,540 --> 00:03:42,540 most recently March 13th of 1989 in Quebec, Canada, 75 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,130 leaving three million people without power 76 00:03:45,130 --> 00:03:46,803 for more than seven hours. 77 00:03:48,860 --> 00:03:52,400 An event which shutdown nearly all transportation systems 78 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,963 and cost $10 million in lost revenue. 79 00:03:58,300 --> 00:04:02,550 We need to understand, very close up, 80 00:04:02,550 --> 00:04:04,120 how the sun sheds 81 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:07,650 these huge clouds 82 00:04:07,650 --> 00:04:09,450 of material, 83 00:04:09,450 --> 00:04:12,560 called coronal mass ejections, 84 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:16,900 and how these went their way through space 85 00:04:16,900 --> 00:04:18,760 to the vicinity of Earth. 86 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:20,860 And which ones are going to hit Earth 87 00:04:20,860 --> 00:04:23,083 and which ones are gonna miss Earth. 88 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:26,430 Information gathered 89 00:04:26,430 --> 00:04:28,810 by the Parker Solar Probe could help lead 90 00:04:28,810 --> 00:04:32,190 to better forecasting of such destructive space weather 91 00:04:32,190 --> 00:04:34,303 and enable better preparations. 92 00:04:34,303 --> 00:04:37,070 (mysterious music) 93 00:04:37,070 --> 00:04:38,580 The Parker Probe also seeks 94 00:04:38,580 --> 00:04:41,590 to understand the magnetic properties of the sun, 95 00:04:41,590 --> 00:04:43,770 helping to answer another basic question 96 00:04:43,770 --> 00:04:45,853 that continues to puzzle scientists. 97 00:04:47,430 --> 00:04:51,773 Why is the solar corona, the outer atmosphere of the sun, 98 00:04:52,710 --> 00:04:57,710 a million or two degrees when the sun itself is only 5,600? 99 00:04:58,010 --> 00:05:00,669 It isn't because of sunshine, that's for sure. 100 00:05:00,669 --> 00:05:03,502 (audience laughs) 101 00:05:04,660 --> 00:05:08,560 The only way that you can really get the grand proof is 102 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:10,103 to go there, so to speak, 103 00:05:11,140 --> 00:05:14,738 and that's what the solar probe is going to do. 104 00:05:14,738 --> 00:05:16,860 Five, four. 105 00:05:16,860 --> 00:05:18,660 Parker Solar Probe's mission began 106 00:05:18,660 --> 00:05:23,050 under the cover of darkness, atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket, 107 00:05:23,050 --> 00:05:25,943 launched the night of August 12th, 2018. 108 00:05:27,250 --> 00:05:30,373 Out of view of its ultimate target, the sun, 109 00:05:31,370 --> 00:05:35,514 but not its namesake. (woman screams) 110 00:05:35,514 --> 00:05:38,403 There we go. (upbeat music) 111 00:05:38,403 --> 00:05:39,260 (audience member) Wow! 112 00:05:39,260 --> 00:05:41,270 It was the culmination of six decades 113 00:05:41,270 --> 00:05:43,560 of scientific dreams and hard work, 114 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:44,393 (crew applauds) 115 00:05:44,393 --> 00:05:45,970 dating back to when Parker first published 116 00:05:45,970 --> 00:05:48,113 his solar theories in 1958. 117 00:05:49,672 --> 00:05:52,070 The Parker Solar Probe really is a historic mission. 118 00:05:52,070 --> 00:05:55,360 It was first dreamed of in 1958 119 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:57,680 and it's remained the highest priority mission 120 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:59,080 throughout that period. 121 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:00,810 The reason it hasn't flown is just because 122 00:06:00,810 --> 00:06:03,170 it's taken a while for technology to catch up 123 00:06:03,170 --> 00:06:06,093 with the dreams that we had for this amazing mission. 124 00:06:08,270 --> 00:06:09,370 In particular, 125 00:06:09,370 --> 00:06:11,430 advances in materials engineering 126 00:06:11,430 --> 00:06:14,200 which led to the development of the critically important, 127 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,950 seven and a half foot wide, four and a half inch thick, 128 00:06:17,950 --> 00:06:19,783 carbon composite heat shield. 129 00:06:21,150 --> 00:06:25,423 It's got a white reflective surface and weighs 160 pounds. 130 00:06:26,550 --> 00:06:27,680 You're going into an environment 131 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:29,250 that's completely unforgiving. 132 00:06:29,250 --> 00:06:30,840 The temperatures that we're seeing 133 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:32,450 on the spacecraft are not being seen 134 00:06:32,450 --> 00:06:34,611 by any other spacecraft ever before. 135 00:06:34,611 --> 00:06:35,540 (flare booms) 136 00:06:35,540 --> 00:06:37,990 The Parker Solar Probe is a technological marvel. 137 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:41,290 The thermal protection system, the heat shield, 138 00:06:41,290 --> 00:06:43,480 will be glowing cherry red. 139 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:44,830 When we're at closest approach, 140 00:06:44,830 --> 00:06:46,730 the front surface of the heat shield will be 141 00:06:46,730 --> 00:06:49,730 at about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. 142 00:06:49,730 --> 00:06:51,240 The back surface of the heat shield will be 143 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:52,950 about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, 144 00:06:52,950 --> 00:06:55,190 but then the spacecraft bus is basically sitting 145 00:06:55,190 --> 00:06:57,280 at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. 146 00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,240 So, the shield is actually 147 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,053 really keeping everything very cool. 148 00:07:02,060 --> 00:07:04,190 Including the full complement of equipment 149 00:07:04,190 --> 00:07:06,090 and sensors aboard the spacecraft, 150 00:07:06,090 --> 00:07:08,060 allowing the four primary instruments 151 00:07:08,060 --> 00:07:10,510 to complete their scientific tasks, 152 00:07:10,510 --> 00:07:12,720 taking measurements of the sun's electric 153 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:14,103 and magnetic fields, 154 00:07:15,450 --> 00:07:17,330 collecting data about the origins 155 00:07:17,330 --> 00:07:19,223 of the sun's high-energy particles, 156 00:07:21,580 --> 00:07:24,483 the solar wind density and acceleration, 157 00:07:26,510 --> 00:07:29,560 as well as taking images of the solar environment 158 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:31,453 by looking around the heat shield. 159 00:07:32,460 --> 00:07:34,530 We sort of peek over the edge of it 160 00:07:34,530 --> 00:07:37,910 and we use it as a shield to block out the sun itself 161 00:07:37,910 --> 00:07:41,370 and that allows us to see this very faint glow coming 162 00:07:41,370 --> 00:07:43,820 from the corona that's only observed 163 00:07:43,820 --> 00:07:45,380 during an eclipse, for example. 164 00:07:45,380 --> 00:07:47,870 We're creating an artificial eclipse. 165 00:07:47,870 --> 00:07:50,550 Well, eclipses are great, but from the data point of view, 166 00:07:50,550 --> 00:07:52,743 I like my instruments better. 167 00:07:52,743 --> 00:07:54,900 (dramatic music) 168 00:07:54,900 --> 00:07:56,390 The initial download of data 169 00:07:56,390 --> 00:08:00,793 from the first two perihelions was completed May 9th, 2019. 170 00:08:02,190 --> 00:08:04,220 22 gigabytes, 171 00:08:04,220 --> 00:08:07,513 50% more information than the team anticipated, 172 00:08:08,370 --> 00:08:12,393 including this image of the solar wind moving left to right. 173 00:08:13,730 --> 00:08:16,530 That's the Milky Way moving offscreen 174 00:08:16,530 --> 00:08:19,543 and the bright spot coming into view is Mercury. 175 00:08:20,657 --> 00:08:23,210 (mysterious music) 176 00:08:23,210 --> 00:08:25,350 Due to all its immediate success, 177 00:08:25,350 --> 00:08:28,190 for the third solar pass the research team decided 178 00:08:28,190 --> 00:08:31,230 to activate the probe's suite of scientific equipment 179 00:08:31,230 --> 00:08:33,700 over a stretch nearly twice the distance 180 00:08:33,700 --> 00:08:36,660 they operated during the first two opportunities, 181 00:08:36,660 --> 00:08:39,563 an increase of 14 observation days. 182 00:08:42,770 --> 00:08:46,470 Of course, even before its first encounter with the sun, 183 00:08:46,470 --> 00:08:49,450 the pioneering probe began breaking records, 184 00:08:49,450 --> 00:08:54,450 surpassing 153,454 miles per hour, 185 00:08:54,830 --> 00:08:57,610 quickly making it the fastest human made object 186 00:08:57,610 --> 00:08:58,863 relative to the sun. 187 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,040 It's speed of at the third perihelion was similar 188 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:08,040 to what it was during the first two, 213,200 miles per hour, 189 00:09:09,130 --> 00:09:10,613 yet another record. 190 00:09:11,820 --> 00:09:16,820 But still, only half of the 432,000 miles per hour expected 191 00:09:16,870 --> 00:09:20,963 at the 24th and the last close-range solar pass. 192 00:09:24,010 --> 00:09:27,200 But before that time comes, the Parker Solar Probe will 193 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,260 undoubtedly make major contributions 194 00:09:29,260 --> 00:09:30,910 to our knowledge of the sun. 195 00:09:30,910 --> 00:09:33,763 Perhaps solving the questions it was sent to investigate, 196 00:09:34,730 --> 00:09:36,353 or maybe posing new ones. 197 00:09:37,750 --> 00:09:40,950 Either way, the man who inspired the mission thinks 198 00:09:40,950 --> 00:09:42,163 it will all be worth it. 199 00:09:44,030 --> 00:09:46,710 I have always said on a mission like this 200 00:09:46,710 --> 00:09:48,510 into new territory, 201 00:09:48,510 --> 00:09:51,180 you're gonna be in for some surprises. 202 00:09:51,180 --> 00:09:53,740 Maybe not big ones, maybe only little ones, 203 00:09:53,740 --> 00:09:54,740 but you're gonna find 204 00:09:54,740 --> 00:09:57,300 that your point of view will have to change 205 00:09:57,300 --> 00:09:59,520 to conform with the data 206 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:04,520 and that's the fun part. (wondrous music)