NASA explains why its mission to 'touch' the sun is basically insane

I mean, I kinda thought it was self explanatory, but sure. Thanks, NASA.

MARK SERRELS

AUGUST 8, 2018 9:12 PM PDT

screen-shot-2018-08-09-at-1-47-55-pm — Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is launching this weekend on Aug. 11. Its destination: the sun.

In fact, NASA stated its goal with the Parker Solar Probe is to "touch" the sun. It's sending a spacecraft "the size of a small car" directly into the sun's atmosphere.

And in preparation for that launch NASA has released a video titled "It's Surprisingly Hard to Go to the Sun".

I have some issues: First, there's nothing surprising about it. Second, the answer is pretty self-explanatory. The sun is very hot, people! This isn't rocket science.

The video obviously goes into more detail than that. Incredibly it takes 55 times the amount of energy as it would take to go to Mars. Mainly because Earth moves very fast -- 67,000 miles per hour -- and is always sideways relative to the sun. Any object travelling to the sun has to cancel that motion.

Now Playing: NASA's Parker Solar probe will touch the sun

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But NASA is going ahead with the project regardless. In its final orbits NASA estimates the Parker Solar Probe will hit speeds of 430,000 miles per hour, which is the fastest any man-made object will have ever travelled to that point. Unreal.

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