NASA Craft ‘Touches’ Sun for 1st Time, Dives Into Atmosphere

A NASA photo shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun, on Dec. 14, 2021. Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—A NASA spacecraft has officially “touched” the sun, plunging through the unexplored solar atmosphere known as the corona.

Scientists announced the news Tuesday during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union.