Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

Palomar · 2005-01-26 21:20:05

*Excellent. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (NASA). It'll make the 1st map of the boundary between our Solar System's edge and the beginning of interstellar space (which includes, of course, studies of the heliosphere and heliopause).

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spacetra … ml]Article

IBEX is the first mission designed to detect the edge of the Solar System. As the solar wind from the sun flows out beyond Pluto, it collides with the material between the stars, forming a shock front. IBEX contains two neutral atom imagers designed to detect particles from the termination shock at the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space.
IBEX also will study galactic cosmic rays, energetic particles from beyond the Solar System that pose a health and safety hazard for humans exploring beyond Earth orbit.

Cost is approximately $134 million. It'll travel in a highly elliptical orbit, beyond Earth's magnetosphere. Is part of SMEX (Small Explorer Program) which "consists of rapid, small and focused science exploration missions." Wonderful. :up:

--Cindy

P.S.: Article also discusses proposals for NuSTAR. Comments on other missions too.

SpaceNut · 2005-01-27 05:32:26

The Voyager and Pioneer probes have yielded much data and would be still sending it if they where not so far away and so low on power.

Can we get a good picture of these limits when we are observing them from within them?

SpaceNut · 2005-01-31 07:44:44

Another article: Nasa's mission to the edge of the solar system, and beyond

Buzz Lightyear wanted to go to infinity and beyond, now the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) wants to venture almost as far with a survey of the edge of the solar system.

Nasa has given the go-ahead for the Interstellar Boundary Explorer - or Ibex - to be built. It will be launched in 2008 from a Pegasus rocket, which will be dropped from the underbelly of a high-altitude aircraft.

Would it not be better to get the craft to the edge faster using a much larger rocket before the power levels drop to low and would not be capable of sending back the data.

SpaceNut · 2005-02-04 12:18:37

Two University of New Hampshire space scientists have been awarded $5 million to help NASA build instruments for missions beyond the solar system.

Eberhard Mobius and Marty Lee of the UNH Space Science Center will work with NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, mission along with engineers, scientists and UNH students to build critical parts of special cameras for the IBEX spacecraft.

Palomar · 2005-02-18 12:44:47

*Hi SpaceNut: The link in your post just above this one is no longer accessible, unfortunately.

http://www.space-travel.com/news/solars … l]Lockheed Martin will develop sensor

IBEX-Lo is one of two sensors on the Small Explorer spacecraft that will measure neutral atoms created by the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar medium - the gas, dust and radiation environment between the stars.

Points out again (first posted article) that IBEX will travel in a highly elliptical orbit around Earth; it'll make all-sky 'images' of the arriving neutral atoms every six months, for two years.

Can't wait to see what info they get back concerning our Solar System's boundary and all that other good stuff.

"It's like sitting inside a giant bubble and getting a picture of the walls from the inside out," explains Dr. Fuselier.

Yeah baby.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-02-18 13:14:57

Sorry hard to hit a moving target some times. A little search did yield the release from the UNH site.
UNH Space Scientists Awarded $5 Million From NASA To Study Edge Of Solar System

or smaller article at newsday

SpaceNut · 2005-02-19 22:05:25

Gee another thread about [url=http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1566]
Running on Empty; NASA launches with a wing and a prayer[/url] Ibex mission.

SpaceNut · 2005-03-01 07:46:14

Another newly released article detailing some of the previously mention UNH Space Science Center receives $5 million

Space plasma physics professors Eberhard Mobius and Martin Lee received the grant for their work in developing a machine that will allow scientists to view images from the solar system. The images will help to determine the classification of atoms and particles that fly toward the surface of the earth. The region of the solar system that will be targeted by the cameras falls somewhere in between the area known as deep space and near the surface of the earth. This region has never been fully looked at before, and the cameras should go a long way to solve that problem.

Palomar · 2005-03-01 08:46:43

Another newly released article detailing some of the previously mention http://www.tnhonline.com/news/2005/03/0 … .shtml]UNH Space Science Center receives $5 million
Space plasma physics professors Eberhard Mobius and Martin Lee received the grant for their work in developing a machine that will allow scientists to view images from the solar system. The images will help to determine the classification of atoms and particles that fly toward the surface of the earth. The region of the solar system that will be targeted by the cameras falls somewhere in between the area known as deep space and near the surface of the earth. This region has never been fully looked at before, and the cameras should go a long way to solve that problem.

*Thanks for posting that, SpaceNut. Congrats to them.

The device will be placed aboard the IBEX spacecraft and will consist of two ultra-high sensitivity cameras.

Space plasma physics...that sounds like an interesting field of inquiry.

Says undergraduate students are being included in the IBEX team.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2006-05-29 20:32:39

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) -Led Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Mission Enters Implementation Phase IBEX is a NASA Explorer Program mission.

IBEX, which will provide global images of the interstellar boundary, the region between our solar system and interstellar space, is scheduled to launch in June 2008.

cIclops · 2008-03-13 02:22:28

flight collimator for the IBEX-Lo sensor. This collimator has over 3500 holes in each of 20 ultra-thin aluminum sheets (each sheet is only 0.05mm - roughly the thickness of a human hair). The collimators, along with other elements of the entrance system, act to block unwanted charged particles and light while selecting the energetic neutral atoms from the edges of our solar system, which IBEX is designed to image.

Homepage

February was another great month for IBEX with the successful completion of all of the environmental testing for our integrated spacecraft. At this point we are basically done with all of the hardware development and testing and are basically left with the launch preparations ahead of us. As a way to further reduce any residual risk that something hidden might be wrong, we continue to add hours of operational testing, but with all the testing we've already done the chances of uncovering some new problem are becoming increasingly tiny. While things have really rolled off on the hardware side, they have ramped up into full swing on the operations front as we prepare the plans, procedures, software and systems to carry out our on-orbit operations after launch.

On track for launch 14 Jul 2008 on a Pegasus XL

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#1 2005-01-26 21:20:05

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#2 2005-01-27 05:32:26

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#3 2005-01-31 07:44:44

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#4 2005-02-04 12:18:37

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#5 2005-02-18 12:44:47

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#6 2005-02-18 13:14:57

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#7 2005-02-19 22:05:25

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#8 2005-03-01 07:46:14

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#9 2005-03-01 08:46:43

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#10 2006-05-29 20:32:39

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

#11 2008-03-13 02:22:28

Re: Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX)

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