NASA is on a mission to 'touch the Sun'

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is set to pass the Sun on 24 December 2024.

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It's due to fly past the sun at 195 km/s, or 435,000 mph.

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"We are basically almost landing on a star," a scientist on the project said.

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NASA's Parker Solar Probe is set to pass the Sun next year in a milestone moment for space exploration.

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The probe, launched on Aug 12, 2018, is due to fly past the sun at 195 km/s, or 435,000 mph on 24 December 2024

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NASA describes it as a mission to ""touch the Sun" on its website, aiming to get our "first-ever sampling of a star's atmosphere."

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"We are basically almost landing on a star," Nour Raouafi, a scientist on the project, told the BBC.

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"This will be a monumental achievement for all humanity.

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This is equivalent to the Moon landing of 1969," he said.

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