[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
Scientists have been trying to figure out how to send such a probe for decades, but the technology didn’t exist at a feasible cost until now. The probe will circle the sun for seven years until it reaches its closest approach, about 4.1 million miles from the sun. That’s eight times closer than previous missions. It’ll provide data on a variety of phenomena, such as magnetic fields, solar winds, dusty plasma and energetic particles. Such subjects are more than just interesting—researchers say that understanding energetic particles that zip our way from the sun can affect cell phones and power grids here on the ground, and could threaten the health of astronauts in orbit. The probe is scheduled to launch in 2015.—Cynthia Graber
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