NASA Solar Probe Survives Closest Ever Approach to Sun

NASA's solar spacecraft made history by surviving the closest-ever approach to the sun.

Scientists announced receiving a signal from the Parker Solar Probe before midnight (EST) on Thursday (05:00 am GMT on Friday).

The signal brought hope to the NASA crew as the probe was out of communication for several days during its fly toward the sun.

Nasa said the probe was "safe" and operating normally after it passed 3.8 million miles from the solar surface.

The probe plunged into the sun's outer atmosphere on Christmas Eve, surviving brutal temperatures and extreme radiation in an attempt to have a better understanding understanding of how the sun works.

NASA said in a statement on their website: "This close-up study of the Sun allows Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scientists better understand how material in this region gets heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of the solar wind (a continuous flow of material escaping the Sun), and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed."