NASA's Parker Solar Probe made history on Tuesday with a record-breaking flight around the sun, the space agency has confirmed. The spacecraft set a new benchmark early on the morning of Dec. 24, coming within 3.

NASA sent its Parker Solar Probe just 3.8 million miles from the surface of the Sun — and it survived. The probe transmitted a signal back to Earth on the night of December 26th, “indicating it’s in good health and operating normally,” according to NASA.

NASA said on Friday that its Parker Solar Probe was "safe" and operating normally after successfully completing the closest-ever approach to the Sun by any human-made object. The spacecraft passed 3.8 million miles (6.