NASA’s solar probe will travel closer to the sun and faster than any previous spacecraft

Over the course of its seven-year journey, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft will pass the Sun a total of 24 times. In its final orbit, it will pass within 3.8 million miles of the surface, traveling at about 430,000 mph. This speed will make it the fastest moving object ever built by humanity. This video shows how the spacecraft designers selected materials such as coated aluminum for the heat shield; carbon-carbon foam for insulation; and refractory metals, niobium, and sapphire crystals for the Faraday Cup.