Wasn't Parker Solar Probe about to resume communication with Earth?

[mcastillo356]

Hi, Physics Forums

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe

I haven't found any clue on Wiki, though this website is updated to two hours ago. I suppose this is not good news.

Does anybody know anything?

Love and Peace

Marcos

 

[phyzguy]

"it is expected to transmit a status update back to Earth on 28 December, due to arrive at 05:00 UTC."

 

[D H]

I haven't found any clue on Wiki, though this website is updated to two hours ago. I suppose this is not good news.

NASA's Deep Space Network has explicit rules against aiming its very expensive antennae toward the Sun. It would have been very much against the rules (these rules exist for a reason) to try any earlier than 28 December to receive status regarding the 24 December flyby. Even if the antennae were well protected, which they are not (hence the rules), there would have been so much noise from the Sun that NASA would be facing not just a low signal to noise ratio with regard to a signal from the probe but a rather high noise to signal ratio had they tried any earlier than 4 days after the fly-by.

Should the status report not be received on 28 December, I would expect that might be because reception remains a bit iffy at that point rather than a sign of bad news. If the probe did survive but did not receive an acknowledgement (ack) from Earth that the report was received, the probe will simply try again later.

Patience is a virtue in deep space missions, particularly so with the Parker Space Probe.

 

[mcastillo356]

I heard about the fake new while I was taking a shower, on Radio Nacional de España (English: Spain's National Radio) on the 25-th of December, while getting ready for christmas eve.