The Sun's Getting a Close-Up.

• Position: SPACE - Brief article

NASA is about to shed some light on the sun. The space agency plans to launch the unmanned Parker Solar Probe next summer on a three-month, 90 million-mile journey to within 4 million miles of the sun--closer than any other man-made object. It will be equipped with a high-tech heat shield so its instruments can operate in temperatures of about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists hope to gain new insights into the sun, especially the cause of solar storms-eruptions that send charged particles streaming through space. Solar storms can disable communications satellites and shut down electrical grids on Earth. A major...