NASA's Parker Solar Probe was poised to make history on Tuesday with a record-breaking flight around the Sun -- although the news won't be confirmed until Friday. It's expected that the spacecraft set a new benchmark early Christmas Eve morning,

Launched in August 2018, the spaceship is on a mission to help forecast space-weather events that can affect life on Earth

The concept of touching the Sun can be traced back to the ancient Greek myth of Icarus, but scientists at NASA have turned that idea into a reality. On Dec. 24th, their Parker Solar Probe managed to travel to just within 3.