Get creative and start by drawing and writing down ideas about the probe you would like to build. How will it stay safe from the heat of a star? What instruments will it have? What questions will it help you answer about the star you want to explore? A prototype is a small model of what you dream of building some day. This is a photo of the Parker, solar probe, currently the fastest man-made object. It will reach speeds of 430,000 miles per hour in order pass through the edge of the sun itself! Before building the real thing engineers need to build a small model called a prototype. A prototype does not need to work and it does not need to be large like the real thing shown below, it can fit in the palm of your hand.
Here are some of the tools that scientists equipped a solar probe with.
Choose the types of materials you will use to make your probe. Look around for clean recyclables like boxes and bottles, or you can use your legos or other building supplies to start building your prototype. Get creative and have fun! Once you have built a cool probe you can also make and label a drawing describing all of the cool tools it has.
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What is it like to send a mission to explore a star. Watch this video to find out. Have fun building out your own great ideas for a probe!