Nasa probe makes closest ever pass by the Sun

Nasa's pioneering Parker Solar Probe made history yesterday, flying closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft with its heat shield exposed to scorching temperatures of more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit.

Launched in August 2018, the spaceship is on a seven-year mission to deepen scientific understanding of our star and help forecast space-weather events that can affect life on Earth.

Yesterday's historic fly-by should have occurred at precisely 6:53am, although mission scientists will have to wait until Friday for confirmation as they lose contact with the craft for several days due to its proximity to the Sun.

If the distance between Earth and Sun is the equivalent to the length of an American football field, the spacecraft should have been about four yards from the end zone at the moment of closest approach – known as perihelion.

This is an incredible achievement! It seems amazing that technology has gotten to the point where a probe can fly so close to the Sun and transmit data. I have always admired space exploration - it pushes the boundaries of what is possible. By the way, it reminds me of traveling: when we were in Switzerland, we had to think carefully about transportation, especially in Geneva. We used coach rental geneva to comfortably get to several mountain locations. Of course, this is nothing like flying to the sun, but planning a route can sometimes be a real science, too