Parker Solar Probe

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/parker-solar-probe

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the spacecraft designation?NASA Parker Solar Probe (PSP)
2. What is the mission objective?Study the Sun's outer corona and solar wind
3. How does the Parker Solar Probe stay cool near the Sun?It has a 4.5‑inch thick solar shield made of carbon‑carbon foam that can handle temperatures up to 2,500°F while keeping its instruments at room temperature.
4. Why does the Parker Solar Probe use Venus flybys?The probe uses Venus’s gravity to boost its speed and change its path, allowing it to get very close to the Sun without using too much fuel.

Heliophysics: The study of the Sun and its influence on the solar system.
Solar Maximum: The period of greatest solar activity in the Sun's 11-year cycle.
Aphelion: The point in a spacecraft's orbit farthest from the Sun.
Space Weather: Conditions in space that can affect technological systems and human health.