How Will NASA Shield Its Parker Solar Probe From The Sun's Scorching Heat?

Published August 17, 2018 at 12:20 PM CDT

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This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that’s capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP)

Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins speaks with Dennis Nagle, one of the engineers behind the Parker Solar Probe’s thermal protection system, about how the heat shield will protect the spacecraft from the sun. Nagle is also a principal research engineer at the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.