NASA's IMAP Mission Set to Chart Uncharted Territory Beyond Voyager's Exit

NASA's New Mission to Map the Heliosphere After Voyager's Exit A new NASA mission, the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), is set to launch on Wednesday as part of a trio of space weather missions. IMAP will attempt to map the heliosphere, the enormous bubble that protects our solar system from cosmic radiation, after NASA's Voyager probes exited it in 2018. According to Dr. Nicky Fox, project scientist for the mission at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, "The heliosphere plays a major role in why life is possible on our planet." The heliosphere is formed by solar winds that create a constant flow of charged particles, shielding our solar system from cosmic radiation permeating the Milky Way. Its boundary extends three times the distance between Earth and Pluto. IMAP's 10 instruments will fill gaps in the existing map of the heliosphere, which was pieced together from data collected by previous missions. The spacecraft will investigate how the solar wind interacts with interstellar space at the boundary of the heliosphere, providing crucial information on how our solar system is protected from damaging cosmic rays. The mission's findings are expected to have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and its effects on life in our solar system. "This mission will help us better understand the dynamics of the heliosphere and how it affects the planets within it," said Dr. Fox. IMAP joins two other space weather missions, the Solar Cruiser and the Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO) mission, which launched aboard the same rocket on Wednesday. The trio of missions aims to improve our understanding of space weather and its effects on Earth's magnetic field, upper atmosphere, and technological systems. The launch marks a significant step forward in NASA's efforts to explore the heliosphere and its boundaries. With IMAP's data collection set to begin in 2025, scientists will gain valuable insights into the dynamics of our solar system and its interactions with the cosmos. As Dr. Fox noted, "This mission is an exciting opportunity for us to learn more about the heliosphere and how it affects life on Earth." The success of IMAP will undoubtedly shed new light on the mysteries of the universe, paving the way for future space exploration and research. The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) is scheduled to reach its destination in 2025, where it will begin collecting data on the heliosphere's boundary. The mission's findings are expected to have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and its effects on life in our solar system. *Reporting by Science.*