The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is a newly built NASA spacecraft that will be launched, weather conditions permitting, on October 19. It is hoped that it will travel to the edge of our solar system and return data and images that will hopefully provide a better understanding of the processes involved in the “termination shock” and those that occur in the space beyond.
Well might you ask, what is the “termination shock?” It is the term given for something that is almost as exciting as the sexiness of the name implies. To put it simply, the “termination shock” is the point at which the solar system ends and outer space begins. At this point our sun’s solar winds are dramatically slowed by the gases and magnetic fields of the space beyond.
[Figure 1]
According to David J. McComas who wears the twin hats of principal investigator of the IBEX mission and senior executive director the Space Science and Engineering Division at the 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.”
This is not the first time that a space vehicle has encountered the termination shock. In fact, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, in 2004 and earlier this year respectively, crossed into outer space and provided what might be described as theory-changing information. However, the age of the respective craft and the fact that both were designed with other purposes in mind means that the data collected, while meaningful, are limited.
[Figure 2]
The IBEX is purpose-built and when it eventually reaches its destination, should provide a great deal of new information and ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the threshold. An extra solid state motor should provide a bit of “extra kick” as it leaves low-earth orbit and hopefully see it reach the termination shock in a little less time than its predecessors.
[Figure 3]
Figure Legends
Title: Photograph of the IBEX mounted to a Pegasus rocket.
Figure 1: Illustration of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 reaching termination shock.
Figure 2: Artists impression of the IBEX at its destination.
Figure 3: Artists impression of IBEX launching from Pegasus.
[NASA via PopSci]
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Tags: NASA, Science, space
2 responses
Oct 10, 2008 at 1:30 pm
“It is hoped that it will travel approximately 200,000 miles to reach the edge of our solar system…”
You should rephrase that because it makes it sound like our solar system is significantly smaller than it is. The moon is close to 250,000 miles from the Earth.
From PopSci:
“The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, will be propelled from the Kwajalein Atoll into a high-altitude orbit that will eventually take it about 200,000 miles from Earth, where it will capture images of processes taking place in the termination shock and beyond.”
Dec 22, 2008 at 2:08 pm
You should change the title of this post and re-write it, because the IBEX is not going to leave the solar system — it is orbiting above Earth’s magnetic field. It is working right now — this is not a case in which it is correct to write that “when it eventually reaches its destination” it will generate data. It is already at its destination.
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