Closer and closer to the sun - The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is developing a spacecraft that will travel closer to the almighty star than any other ship has gone before.

The grand Solar Probe mission, a concept experts have grappled with for more than 30 years, could transform what people know about the sun and the universe. 

APL is developing a spacecraft that must withstand up to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit and survive radiation blasts and energized dust - something never experienced by man-made probes.

Weighing in at about 1,000 pounds the solar-powered probe they're developing will be protected by a 9-foot diameter, 6-inch thick, carbon-foam-filled shield. Two sets of solar arrays will control the direction, regulate temperature and monitor power supply.

NASA and APL have specific goals set for this mission including: analyzing the structure of magnetic fields from solar wind; finding the source of energy that heats the sun's outer ring; determining how energetic particles are transported; and investigating dusty plasma near the sun and its influence on solar winds and energetic particle information.  

The Solar Probe mission is expected to cost about $750 million and is set to launch in 2015.