News Traveling to the sun: Why won't Parker Solar Probe melt?

[Qonundrum]

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-sun-wont-parker-solar-probe.html

Inside the corona, it's also, of course, unimaginably hot. The spacecraft will travel through material with temperatures greater than a million degrees Fahrenheit while being bombarded with intense sun light.

So, why won't it melt?

Parker Solar Probe has been designed to withstand the extreme conditions and temperature fluctuations for the mission. The key lies in its custom heat shield and an autonomous system that helps protect the mission from the Sun's intense light emission, but does allow the coronal material to "touch" the spacecraft.

Three months... Nice. It's not "metaphasic shielding", but it qualifies. Don't tell the Borg about it!

 

[2takesfrakes]

I suspect that the Parker Solar Probe benefits from the fact that the superheated gases are so tenuous.

 

[Kor]

A simple question with an elegantly simple solution.

The probe won't melt because they'll just go at night, when it's dark and cold.



Kor

 

[publiusr]

They did launch at night
https://www.space.com/41449-parker-solar-probe-night-launch-to-sun.html

Another nice article
http://www.americaspace.com/2018/08...r-solar-probe-on-landmark-mission-to-the-sun/