On December 24, NASAs Parker Solar Probe attempted to touch the sun and emerge unscathed.The closest approach ever made by a human-made object to our nearest star saw the spacecraft come within 3.8 million miles of its seething, infernal surface.Recommended VideosAt the same time, the spacecraft reached the fastest speed ever travelled by a human-made object: 430,000 mph (692,017 kmh) or about 28,600 time faster than when youre puttering along in a 15 mph zone.Please enable Javascript to view this contentScientists sent the Parker Solar Probe into the suns outer atmosphere known as the corona in a bid to gather data that could lead to more accurate predictions of space weather events, improved protection of electronic systems, and, perhaps most tantalizingly of all, a deeper understanding of fundamental physics and solar processes.RelatedThis mission truly marks humanitys first visit to a star that will have implications not just here on Earth, but how we better understand our universe, Thomas Zurbuchen, the then associate administrator of NASAs science mission directorate, said in 2018 when the probe launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.But the big question right now is: Did the Parker Solar Probe survive its close encounter with the sun?At the current time, NASA has no contact with the probe as the suns position is obscuring the signal pathway between it and Earth, preventing direct communication. Additionally, the probes extreme proximity to the sun during its closest approach created an environment of intense heat and radiation that interferes with normal communication.The communication blackout is expected and should be temporary, so theres no cause for concern.Scientists, as well as interested folks around the world following the progress of the Parker Solar Probe mission, are now nervously waiting to see if the spacecraft survived and is continuing to operate normally. The answer should come some time on Friday, December 27.For updates on the mission, check NASAs X account, as news on whether the probe has reestablished communications with Earth will drop their first.The Parker Solar Probe has already hurtled past the sun 21 times since its first close encounter in 2021. Two years ago, it sent back astonishing imagery captured as it flew through an eruption from the sun, giving scientists a close-up look at space weather, which is powerful enough to affect technology on Earth.Editors Recommendations