A NASA spacecraft will aim straight for the sun next year and bear the name of the astrophysicist who predicted the existence of the solar wind nearly 60 years ago. It's the first NASA spacecraft to be named after a researcher who is still alive, noted the agency's science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen. Scheduled to launch next summer from Cape Canaveral, the Parker Solar Probe will fly within 4 million miles of the sun's surface — right into the solar atmosphere. Parker Solar Probe — formerly known as Solar Probe Plus — will venture seven times closer than any previous spacecraft, Fox said. Parker Solar Probe will travel at a blistering speed of 430,000 mph (692,000 kph) and zip in and out of a region where the mercury hits 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,371 degrees Celsius).

Source: ABC News May 31, 2017 15:04 UTC