I'm not sure what it would be made of, or what kind of shielding it would use, but I think it will happen someday.

Maybe some day.... But why would anyone WANT to travel to the sun? It's not like you can get out of your spaceship or anything unless you wore something made out of the exact same material the spaceship was made out of which is just insane...

^I didn't say "manned".

We'd have to invent some pretty radiation tolerant materials. I don't think it's impossible, but probably rather far off.

Or some sort of energy shield that deflects radiation and gasses, but let's not go too far into sci-fi

Probably not

Wouldn't it just get sucked in towards the core?

No, it would just melt way before it gets there.

Of course it's possible. It'd be melted down into its consituent atoms in less time than it takes to say 'I'm on the sun', but you didn't say it had to remain intact.

Czarnicky, if you could theoretically remain in one piece, it wouldn't neccesarily. At some point the density of solar material around you would become greater than the density of your ship, and then you'd effectively float.

But if you wanted a ship to go there and remain intact, it's be very difficult. You'd probably need a staggeringly powerful electric or magnetic field to protect you, and clearly, if you could see what was going on aroung you, you'd be exposing yourself to the photons surrounding you, and be vapourised.

On balance, I think it possible, but not something that will happen for a good few thousand years. Mostly as there's no real science I can think of (off the top of my head) that could be achieved with it right now, so we'd basically be doing it for a laugh.

^ well, then, you can bet that'll be NASA's excuse the next time the screw up converting metric to imperial. "Come one guys, that was funny!"

Close to the sun maybe (there may not be a point to flying close to the sun though ), but not into it

the entire body of knowledge to be gained from this would seem to be to figure out that eh sun is realy hot.

Doubtful.

Considering the temperature at the surface of the sun is estimated to be 6000 degrees Kelvin, I highly doubt you would ever be able to find any substance that can hold itself together in that kind of heat. Your spaceship will melt long before you even come close to the surface of the sun, let alone the interior.

The temperature in the corona actually reaches about two million degrees Kelvin, which is higher than the actual surface.

I'm going to have to give the typical joke answer.

"Yes, we could do it now if we just sent it at night"

Someday, if there is a material to withstand the temperatures.

We kinda can now. Just can't expect it to come back in any peice.

without having it melt? of course not.

They have constructed materials capable of resisting plasma temperatures, but I had in mind something more like magnetic shielding.

Is there a reason to? Is there something in particular that can't be learned from a distance?

Only if it's gift wrapped.

Well, first of all, would the people who pay for these ships to be built want their obscene amount of money hurled into the sun? Probably not.

Secondly, at this present time, It's not likely that we have the technology to send a spacecraft into the sun intact.

In the future, yes. Not now.

Obviously we can't do it now.

FD, I believe so. Data is never empirically stronger than when directly gathered. It would also do much to differentiate and confirm theories, and there is likely much we cannot ascertain at a distance.

So you want to fly a ship into the sun just to make sure Thats a hell of alot of money just to be able to say

"Hey look, we were right."