帕克太阳探测器准备进行最后一次金星飞越

NASA's Parker Solar Probe recently underwent a short maneuver to ensure its trajectory for the mission's final planned Venus flyby on Nov. 6. The spacecraft fired its small thrusters for approximately 17 seconds, adjusting its velocity by less than a mile per hour and positioning itself closer to Venus. This critical gravity assist from Venus will allow the probe to achieve its minimum solar distance, bringing it within just 3.8 million miles of the sun's surface—the closest it will come to our star.

Yanping Guo, the mission design and navigation manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, emphasized the importance of precise positioning and timing for the upcoming flyby. Following this event, the team is expected to conduct an additional maneuver to fine-tune the spacecraft's path to Venus. Subsequently, Parker will make the first of at least three planned passes at an unprecedented distance from the sun on Dec. 24, 2024, reaching speeds of up to 430,000 miles per hour.

Currently in its 21st orbit, Parker Solar Probe is about to embark on a science encounter that will culminate with a close approach to the solar surface on Sept. 30, 2024, at a distance of about 4.51 million miles.