Interstellar Boundary Explorer (1/2)

The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into the cold expanse of space is ready for launch 19th October 2008. The two-year mission will begin from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Called the Interstellar Boundary Explorer or IBEX, the spacecraft will conduct extremely high-altitude orbits above Earth to investigate and capture images of processes taking place at the farthest reaches of the solar system. Known as the interstellar boundary, this region marks where the solar system meets interstellar space.

Dr. Eric Christian is the program scientist for the Solar Terrestrial Probes program at NASA Headquarters.

Dr. David J. McComas is senior executive director of the Space Science and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute. He currently serves as principal investigator of the IBEX and Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS) NASA missions.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• IBEX
• Interstellar
• Boundary
• Explorer

[theArquebusier]

I wish I understood what this thing really did!

[froobcity]

good idea

[GoneIsGone]

Yay Orbital! :-)

[notbendable]

Thanks Bruno! ...this is awesome!

:-D

[qpwnsall]

awesome

[techdeck321]

can't wait on sunday !!!