On the heels of a NASA spacecraft's historic close flyby of the sun on Christmas Eve, scientists on Earth have one question on their minds: Did their probe survive as an epic Christmas gift, or is it a burned up lump of coal in space?

NASA's Parker Solar Probe flew closer to the sun than any human-made object ever — a stunning technological feat that scientists liken to the historic Apollo moon landing in 1969.

The daring NASA spacecraft made its closest-ever approach to the sun at 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT) on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).