IBEX to the far reachers of the solar system Options

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

Today's newspaper had an article on IBEX spacecraft, which will study the far reaches of the solar system... from Earth orbit!

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is a NASA satellite that will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space.

Departure of the L-1011 carrier aircraft from Vandenberg, carrying the Pegasus XL rocket with IBEX, occured last week 10th October. After a stop in Hawaii, the flight will continue and arrive at the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific on Oct. 11 or 12.
Planned launchdate is Sunday 19th October 2008

http://www.ibex.swri.edu/timeline/index.shtml

http://www.ibex.swri.edu/

Topic might be moved to another subforum

[imipak]

Thanks Enceladus75, & welcome aboard! (not -23 or -42? )

I guess this is the story: Radiation threat to all life on Earth

If the heliosphere disappeared, the cosmic radiation would make life on Earth almost impossible by destroying DNA and leaving the climate uninhabitable.

David McComas, the principal investigator on the Ibex mission, said: "There is no imminent danger, but it is hard to know what the future holds.
"It is likely that there are natural variations in solar wind pressure and over time it will either stabilise or start going back up."

(at the journalist and especially the sub, of course, not Dr McComas!)

Incidentally, fans of the Bad Astronomer and similar debunkers might enjoy Bad Science, spun off from Ben Goodacre's usually excellent newspaper column and blog.