NASA's New Mission Will Try to Map the Heliosphere After Voyager's Exit (cnn.com)
(Sunday September 28, 2025 @03:34AM (EditorDavid)
from the solar-powers dept.)
- Reference: 0179550162
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/09/27/0124204/nasas-new-mission-will-try-to-map-the-heliosphere-after-voyagers-exit
- Source link: https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/science/heliosphere-spacex-nasa-imap-launch
The heliosphere "plays a major role in why life is possible on our planet," [1]reports CNN , "and how it perhaps once existed on others such as Mars." (Basically solar winds create "a constant flow of charged particles" that form "an enormous bubble that protects the planets in our solar system from cosmic radiation permeating the Milky Way".)
NASA says the heliosphere's boundary is three times the distance between Earth and Pluto. (After leaving the heliosphere NASA's Voyager probes [2]collected key data about the heliosphere.) But now there's a new mission to investigate "how that solar wind interacts with interstellar space at the boundary of the heliosphere," CNN reports — called the [3]Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (or IMAP):
> The spacecraft's 10 instruments will also fill gaps in the existing map of the heliosphere, pieced together from data collected by previous missions, and help further explain how the heliosphere largely shields our solar system from damaging cosmic rays, the most highly energetic particles in the universe. Along with two other space weather missions that lifted off aboard the same rocket on Wednesday, IMAP will help scientists better predict when solar storms unleashed by the sun could affect our planet. When aimed at Earth, harsh radiation from the storms, also known as space weather, can pose risks to astronauts on the International Space Station as well as interfere with communications, the electric power grid, navigation, and radio and satellite operations.
>
> "This next set of missions is the ultimate cosmic carpool," said Dr. Joe Westlake, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division, during a news conference on Sunday. "They will provide unprecedented insight into space weather. Every human on Earth, as well as nearly every system involved in space exploration and human needs, is affected by space weather...." The IBEX, or Interstellar Boundary Explorer, satellite has been mapping the heliosphere since launching in 2008. But IMAP can explore and map the boundaries of the heliosphere like never before because it has instruments with faster imaging that are capable of 30 times higher resolution. Once it reaches an orbit about 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth in about three months, IMAP will also capture observations of the solar wind in real time and measure particles that travel from the sun, study the heliosphere's boundary between 6 billion and 9 billion miles (9.7 billion to 14.5 billion kilometers) away, and even collect data from interstellar space.
Also launching was the [4]SWFO-L1 mission , which CNN says is "intended to act as a solar storm detector, providing early warnings to protect astronauts in low-Earth orbit and satellites that provide critical communications on Earth. It's a tool that will be even more necessary as astronauts venture farther into deep space."
NASA streamed the launch live [5]on YouTube .
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/science/heliosphere-spacex-nasa-imap-launch
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/14/science/voyager-1-thruster-fix
[3] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/
[4] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swfo-l1/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNRrfamTT4k
NASA says the heliosphere's boundary is three times the distance between Earth and Pluto. (After leaving the heliosphere NASA's Voyager probes [2]collected key data about the heliosphere.) But now there's a new mission to investigate "how that solar wind interacts with interstellar space at the boundary of the heliosphere," CNN reports — called the [3]Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (or IMAP):
> The spacecraft's 10 instruments will also fill gaps in the existing map of the heliosphere, pieced together from data collected by previous missions, and help further explain how the heliosphere largely shields our solar system from damaging cosmic rays, the most highly energetic particles in the universe. Along with two other space weather missions that lifted off aboard the same rocket on Wednesday, IMAP will help scientists better predict when solar storms unleashed by the sun could affect our planet. When aimed at Earth, harsh radiation from the storms, also known as space weather, can pose risks to astronauts on the International Space Station as well as interfere with communications, the electric power grid, navigation, and radio and satellite operations.
>
> "This next set of missions is the ultimate cosmic carpool," said Dr. Joe Westlake, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division, during a news conference on Sunday. "They will provide unprecedented insight into space weather. Every human on Earth, as well as nearly every system involved in space exploration and human needs, is affected by space weather...." The IBEX, or Interstellar Boundary Explorer, satellite has been mapping the heliosphere since launching in 2008. But IMAP can explore and map the boundaries of the heliosphere like never before because it has instruments with faster imaging that are capable of 30 times higher resolution. Once it reaches an orbit about 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth in about three months, IMAP will also capture observations of the solar wind in real time and measure particles that travel from the sun, study the heliosphere's boundary between 6 billion and 9 billion miles (9.7 billion to 14.5 billion kilometers) away, and even collect data from interstellar space.
Also launching was the [4]SWFO-L1 mission , which CNN says is "intended to act as a solar storm detector, providing early warnings to protect astronauts in low-Earth orbit and satellites that provide critical communications on Earth. It's a tool that will be even more necessary as astronauts venture farther into deep space."
NASA streamed the launch live [5]on YouTube .
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/science/heliosphere-spacex-nasa-imap-launch
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/14/science/voyager-1-thruster-fix
[3] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/
[4] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swfo-l1/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNRrfamTT4k
Keeping it funded and operational though (Score:2)
by CptJeanLuc ( 1889586 )
They should throw in extra features, like sensors to determine whether heliospheres cause autism and maybe a gaydar. A broadcast feature to relay the words of supreme leader in real non-relativistic time as He thumbs them. There is stuff to be avoided. Don't put any CO2 or CH4 detection in there (even better: stay away from carbon entirely, unless it is big beautiful coal). On the EM front, anything visible or IR should be considered risky. Most importantly: do not put solar panels on the thing.
The solar magnetic field is important also (Score:4, Interesting)
TFS/TFA talk a great deal about the solar wind and space plasma produced by the sun. However, the sun's magnetic field is important also. It deflects charged cosmic particles, and thus offers some protection.
That said, TFA does mention IMAP will measure ENAs (energetic neutral atoms) which are not affected by the sun's magnetic field because they are not charged.
Fun fact: the sun's magnetic field has a 22-year cycle, where it reverses and then returns to its original orientation. When it is pointed in the direction roughly opposite to the earth's magnetic field, the protection of the latter is weakened, and the solar wind can produce more intense auroras in the earth's polar regions.
Re: (Score:2)
> sun's magnetic field is important also. It deflects charged cosmic particles, and thus offers some protection
Not sure this is true. Solar winds create the heliosphere but I don't think the magnetic field of the Sun extends significantly to Earth orbit.
Re: (Score:2)
The sun's magnetic field does in fact have a massive extent. It spans out for 75 to 100 AUs (an AU or astronomical unit is the distance between the sun and the earth.)
The heliosphere is essentially the extent of galactic space in which the sun's magnetic field dominates.