Planning a trip to the sun (CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Elizabeth Landau
CNN

***
Now, scientists are planning humanity's closest visit yet to our most familiar star. The NASA Solar Probe, an unmanned spacecraft scheduled for launch in 2015, will explore some of the burning questions scientists have about the sun.
***
The project, which costs around $750 million, will be able to withstand inconceivably high temperatures -- up to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. The probe is being developed at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory.
***
The probe will capture images to help solve these puzzles over a period of almost seven years. During this time, the probe will fly by Venus seven times, gradually reducing the size of its orbit.

At its closest, the probe will get about 4.1 million miles from the sun. That may not seem so near, but consider that the sun is about 93 million miles from Earth. The probe will come about eight times closer to the sun than any spacecraft before it.

The NASA probe will also achieve a top speed of 450,000 miles per hour, which is three times the record of any man-made object in space, Dantzler said.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/18/solar.probe/index.html

How much longer before a true Sundiver mission makes it off the drawing board?

[Parche]

1. When

Are we going to have a manned mission to the Sun?
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:hi:

[damntexdem]

7. If so, wear boots with thick soles.

And step lively. ;-)

[LiberalEsto]

2. Will the probe be solar-powered?

:evilgrin:

[annabanana]

3. I've always thought the sun would be a good place to

store our nuclear waste...

[BadgerKid]

6. But if the rocket explodes

we have radioactive fallout. I guess a space elevator might work if that ever becomes a reality.

[RL3AO]

10. I've thought about that many times.

We have to have some cask that can survive a violent explosion.

[pnorman]

4. It'll be allright so long as they time it during evening hours.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Don't mind me. I'm just churning up my posting count. When it hits an even 4,000, I'll get my sorry ass off to bed.

pnorman
PS:

[Greyskye]

5. I just finished re-reading Sundiver

Coincidently enough. :) We're probably at least a century away, barring any radical new technologies.

Interesting stuff.

[Posteritatis]

9. *awards Taste In Authors points* (nt)

[slackmaster]

8. Still expecting the punchline "That's why they are going at night!"

:argh:

[matt007]

11. The Sun has always been my favorite planet

Its like the king planet lol





anybody remember wt sat. nite live skit im talking about?

[qazplm]

12. HEY!

If the Moon were made of cheese, would ya eat it?

It's a simple question my friend.