text: can nasa send a spacecraft to the sun? i calculate that the spacecraft would have to stay at least 1.3 million miles of the sun's surface because of the extreme heat. just how hot is the sun? besides, why study the sun up close? the european space agency already has a satellite orbiting the sun called the soho craft.  it is much more distant than you describe but its images are spectacular.  many comet chasers use the website to discover new comets orbiting our sun.  just do a search for soho and esa and you will find the site.