Telling someone to 'touch the sun' is a mean insult, but for the Parker Solar Probe, it's a piece of cake.
Parker has just become the first human-made object ever to pass through the Sun's upper atmosphere, or corona.
It has already made some fascinating discoveries, such as the origin of mysterious 'switchbacks' in the solar wind.
But its most interesting findings will come as it reaches its closest approach in 2025, right in time for expected higher-than-usual solar activity.
That data could help us more accurately predict space weather, which can knock out electrical equipment on Earth.
Featured image credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center