The Parker probe could solve mystery of our Sun which defies 'laws of nature' because its atmosphere is 300 times hotter than its surface
NASA has offered a window into its incredible bid to "touch the sun" as part of a mission to prepare for solar storms that could wreak havoc on Earth.
During its seven-year project, the Parker Solar Probe will swoop closer to the Sun than any spacecraft in human history.
Launching in 2018, it will dive into the Sun's atmosphere.
Nasa last night let the general public in on the action, conducting a Facebook Live stream straight from the John Hopkins University Jet Propulsion labs, where the probe is being built.
During the broadcast, mission project scientist Nikki Fox showed off the incredible piece of kit that will repeatedly swoop at 118 miles per second through the corona.
The probe is so delicate the scientists have to stand far away in case they send a static electric shock into it which could play havoc with its circuitry.
Jam-packed with solar panels and communication devices, the probe features an all-important cone-shaped carbon heat-shield, the scientists explained.
It is made of carbon foam that has been baked twice and is incredibly light - similar to the green foam often used in floral arrangements.
Nasa hopes Parker will unlock two main mysteries that have perplexed scientists for years.
Firstly, they want to understand why the corona is 300 times hotter than the sun's surface, a concept that "breaks the rules of nature," Fox said.
The sun occasionally shoots out solar flares that can wreak havoc on Earth.
The flares whip up solar storms that affect geomagnetic particles in our atmosphere.
They can affect technology including navigation systems in phones and have been known to affect power grids.
One recent study by the National Academy of Sciences estimated that without advance warning a huge solar event could cause two trillion dollars in damage in the US alone, and the eastern seaboard of the US could be without power for a year.
Second on the agenda is space weather, a poorly understood phenomenon caused by solar rays or flares shooting from the corona.
These can have a devastating effect on Earth, destroying power grids, spacecraft and harming astronauts.
But they are also responsible for the breathtaking Northern and Southern lights, which are called auroras.
Nasa hopes Parker will help protect us if a major solar "event" comes our way.
The Parker Probe Plus' journey will see it come within four million miles of the searing surface of the sun - facing heat and radiation more intense than any spacecraft has endured before.
It is named after Professor Eugene Parker, who first discovered solar winds 60 years ago.
While the mission will provide clues as to why stars formed, but it's also a prevention exercise to help defend Earth from a potentially crippling solar flare.
Space boffins want to understand the processes behind solar flares and "storms" which send radioactive particles hurtling towards Earth.
It's feared storms could knock out satellites and bring down the communications networks that keep modern society connected.
Giant holes in the corona produce devastating solar wind, flares and mass “ejections” that can reach Earth’s atmosphere.
When it announced the mission earlier this year, Nasa wrote on its website: "One recent study by the National Academy of Sciences estimated that without advance warning a huge solar event could cause two trillion dollars in damage in the US alone, and the eastern seaboard of the US could be without power for a year.
"In order to unlock the mysteries of the corona, but also to protect a society that is increasingly dependent on technology from the threats of space weather, we will send Solar Probe Plus to touch the sun."
Nasa said the Solar Probe Plus would generate "new data on solar activity and make critical contributions to our ability to forecast major space-weather events that impact life on Earth".
Solar wind was discovered 60 years ago by prominent scientist Eugene Parker.
His early academic papers on the sun's behaviour were initially rejected and he was widely ridiculed.
Before then, stargazers regarded space above Earth's orbit zone as a massive vacuum.
But now we know more about the heliosphere - which encompasses our solar system - we can see how solar flares, winds and storms affect our own planet.
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