Three years after its launch, the Parker Solar Probe made its first passage through the sun's upper atmosphere. In 2018, we got a behind-the-scenes look at how NASA engineers built the probe to survive the tremendously hot journey. | NPR

On Aug. 12, NASA successfully launched Parker Solar Probe toward the Sun, where it will fly closer than any spacecraft ever has before. This week’s 10 Things blog tells you what you need to know about how this mission will uncover new secrets about our star: https://go.nasa.gov/2NoapD2 | NASA Solar System Exploration

Today the Parker Solar Probe will make its 9th close approach to the Sun. The spacecraft holds the record for the top spacecraft speed and the closest distance to the Sun at perihelion. "Perihelion" is the closest point in an object's orbit to the Sun. In the case of Parker Solar Probe, that's about 10.4 million kilometers (6.5 million miles) from the solar surface. For context, today the Earth is about 152 million kilometers (94 million miles) from the Sun. What's the most amazing thing you kno