International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

NASA’s IBEX spacecraft to study Edge of Solar System

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: IBEX

Mains level: Not much

ibex

NASA has announced that its Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft is fully operational after the mission team successfully reset it.

Edge of Solar System: Heliopause

ibex

The edge of the Solar System, also known as the heliopause, is the point where the solar wind from the Sun meets the interstellar medium. Here are some key points about the edge of the Solar System:

  • The heliopause is the boundary where the Sun’s solar wind is stopped by the interstellar medium.
  • The Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed the heliopause in 2012, becoming the first man-made object to leave the Solar System.
  • The exact location of the heliopause is not well defined and varies based on the strength of the solar wind and the density of the interstellar medium.
  • The interstellar medium beyond the heliopause is composed of plasma, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays from other stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
  • The edge of the Solar System is being studied by NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, which is mapping the boundary region where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium.

Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)

  • IBEX is a small NASA spacecraft designed to map the boundary where winds from the Sun interact with winds from other stars.
  • The spacecraft is about the size of a bus tire and its instruments look towards the interstellar boundary while it is on its nine-day orbit around our planet.
  • It was launched in 2008 and has spent nearly 15 years in space already.

Purpose

  • The purpose of IBEX is to study the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium and to map the boundary of the solar system.

Technology

  • IBEX uses two neutral atom imaging cameras to detect energetic neutral atoms that are created at the boundary of the heliosphere.
  • The cameras are mounted on a spinning spacecraft, allowing them to scan the sky and build up a map of the boundary.

Discoveries

Since its launch, IBEX has made several important discoveries, including:

  • The first direct measurements of the interstellar wind, which flows into the solar system from the direction of the constellation Scorpius.
  • The discovery of a “ribbon” of energetic neutral atoms that stretches across the sky, which may be caused by the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.

Current Status

  • IBEX is still in operation and continues to gather data about the interstellar boundary.
  • Its mission has been extended several times, with the most recent extension running until 2023.

Significance

  • IBEX’s findings have increased our understanding of the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.
  • It has helped to refine models of the heliosphere and the solar system’s place in the galaxy.
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