NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is about to fly closer to the Sun than any human-made object ever has, reaching an altitude of over six million kilometers on Christmas Eve. The probe, launched in August 2018, is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and will travel through the Sun’s corona. As it nears the Sun, contact with the spacecraft will be lost, with mission results expected to be confirmed on December 27. The probe is named after Dr. Eugene Parker, a groundbreaking solar researcher who passed away in 2022.