Chapter 477 Science Friday! Entry 08- The IBEX Probe
Yesterday NASA launched the IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer) probe into earth orbit to start mapping the edge of our solar system. It's a bit of a scary mission all things considered as it will basically catalog the boundary between our planetary system and the radiation of deep space which is held in check by our own solar radiation.
From Softpedia.com: http://news.softpedia.com/news/IBEX-Probe-Successfully-Launched-96108.shtml
The probe was carried by the Pegasus for about 130 miles onto its orbit above Earth. Its goal is to reach the boundaries of the heliosphere, the protective bubble that the Sun envelops its planetary system in, and which is formed of particles carried by the solar wind. In the target region, the particles emitted by the Sun meet the ones from the outer space, and interact with them.
During its 2-year long mission, the octagonal IBEX probe will help scientists gain more insight on the events that take place at the “termination shock� zone, as well as on the reasons and consequences of the recent record low for solar wind in 50 years. In this regard, the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) craft will make use of its two cameras to capture images of the surroundings, and to map the occurring collision events. It will provide additional intel both on the solar particles and the galactic ones, as well as on the way they interact.
According to David J. McComas, principal investigator for IBEX and senior executive director of the Space Science and Engineering Division at the San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute, “The interstellar boundary regions are critical because they shield us from the vast majority of dangerous galactic cosmic rays, which otherwise would penetrate into Earth's orbit and make human spaceflight much more dangerous.�
The small, 50 centimeter-wide probe will follow the 2 Voyager missions launched more than 30 years ago on their way to the margins of the heliosphere, but will be the first of such a reduced size and scope from a series of cheap small-scale probes in NASA's Small Explorers project.
And from Gizmodo by Jack Loftus: http://gizmodo.com/5065677/ibex-launches-today-on-mans-most-depressing-space-mission-ever
"Now, just to summarize, the IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer) was conceived to study the farthest reaches of our solar system. At the very edge is the termination shock, where the system ends, and deep space begins. Studying the unknown will always be cool, but it turns out the IBEX mission could also lead to a better understanding of our future doom.
The termination shock is also the point at which the sun's solar wind begins to taper off, and eventually end. Much like our atmosphere here on Earth, the solar wind protects the solar system from the deadly radiation that saturates deep space. It does this by hurling ions in every direction, at 1 million miles per hour, all the time. Scientists believe the solar wind stops about 90% of the radiation from reaching the planets housed within the termination shock.
The trouble is these winds have fallen to their weakest levels in 50 years. In the past 10 years, the wind's intensity weakened by about 25%. Why? Who knows. Hence, IBEX.
Said David McComas, IBEX chief scientist, "We don't believe we're in imminent danger, but we've only measured the solar wind for about 50 years." Reassuring, thy name be NASA."
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More Links:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a8TRMBj1sHaU&refer=us