NASA is hard at work building a heat-resistant, solar powered spacecraft that will plunge into the sun’s atmosphere. The mission will sample solar wind and magnetism with a launch date that could happen as early as 2015. This 7 year mission will bring the Solar Probe+ spacecraft no closer than 7 million km from the sun. The heat shields on the spacecraft must resist temperatures greater than 1400 degrees C. To paraphrase Paris Hilton – “That’s Hot“…

Link: NASA Press Release
Link: Solar Probe Plus: Report of the Science and Technology Definition Team