The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is one of five Small Explorer (SMEX) missions undergoing Phase A study for NASA’s Office of Space Science. Around November 2004, NASA expects to select at least one of missions for development and flight. If selected, IBEX will provide the first global views of the Sun’s interstellar boundaries by taking a set of global energetic neutral atom (ENA) images at a variety of energies. Recent advances in ENA imaging have made it possible to remotely image space plasmas and ENA imaging is now poised to image the interstellar interactions and interstellar boundaries at the edge of our heliosphere. IBEX makes these exploratory ENA observations using two ultra‐high sensitivity ENA cameras on a simple spinning spacecraft. IBEX’s highly elliptical Earth orbit allows viewing of the outer heliosphere from beyond the Earth’s relatively bright magnetospheric ENA emissions. IBEX’s sole, focused science objective is to discover the global interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium. IBEX achieves this objective by answering four fundamental science questions: (1) What is the global strength and structure of the termination shock? (2) How are energetic protons accelerated at the termination shock? (3) What are the global properties of the solar wind flow beyond the termination shock and in the heliotail? and (4) How does the interstellar flow interact with the heliosphere beyond the heliopause? The IBEX objective is central to the Sun‐Earth Connection (SEC) theme as demonstrated by both the 2003 SEC Roadmap and 2002 NRC’s Decadal Survey and is specifically identified in the 2003 NASA‐wide Strategic Plan. In short, the IBEX mission provides the first global views of the Sun’s interstellar boundaries, unveiling the physics of the heliosphere’s interstellar interaction, providing a deeper understanding of the heliosphere and thereby astrospheres throughout the galaxy, and creating the opportunity to make even greater unanticipated discoveries.
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15 September 2004
PHYSICS OF THE OUTER HELIOSPHERE
8-13 February 2004
Riverside, California (USA)
Research Article|
September 15 2004
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Available to Purchase
David McComas;
David McComas
Southwest Research Institute,P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228
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Frederic Allegrini;
Frederic Allegrini
Southwest Research Institute,P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228
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Peter Bochsler;
Peter Bochsler
University of Bern, Physikalisches Institut, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, CH‐3012, Switzerland
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Maciej Bzowski;
Maciej Bzowski
Polish Academy of Sciences, Space Research Centre, Bartycka 18 A, 00‐716, Warsaw, Poland
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Michael Collier;
Michael Collier
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 692, Greenbelt, MD 20771
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Hans Fahr;
Hans Fahr
University of Bonn, Auf dem Hugel 71, D‐53121, Bonn, Germany
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Horst Fichtner;
Horst Fichtner
Ruhr‐Universitaet Bochum, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum‐und‐Astrophysic, D‐44780 Bochum Germany
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Priscilla Frisch;
Priscilla Frisch
University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
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Herb Funsten;
Herb Funsten
Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545
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Steve Fuselier;
Steve Fuselier
Lockheed Martin, Space Physics Lab, 3251 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304
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George Gloeckler;
George Gloeckler
University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD 20742
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Mike Gruntman;
Mike Gruntman
University of Southern California, Aerospace Engineering Dept., Los Angeles, CA 90089
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Vlad Izmodenov;
Vlad Izmodenov
Moscow State University, Vorob‐evy Gory, Glavnoe Zdanie MGU, 119899 Moscow, Russia
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Paul Knappenberger;
Paul Knappenberger
Adler Planetarium, 1300 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
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Marty Lee;
Marty Lee
University of New Hampshire, Space Science Center, Morse Hall, Durham, NH 03824
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Stefano Livi;
Stefano Livi
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723
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Don Mitchell;
Don Mitchell
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723
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Eberhard Möbius;
Eberhard Möbius
University of New Hampshire, Space Science Center, Morse Hall, Durham, NH 03824
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Tom Moore;
Tom Moore
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 692, Greenbelt, MD 20771
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Dan Reisenfeld;
Dan Reisenfeld
Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545
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Ed Roelof;
Ed Roelof
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723
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Nathan Schwadron;
Nathan Schwadron
Southwest Research Institute,P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228
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Martin Wieser;
Martin Wieser
University of Bern, Physikalisches Institut, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, CH‐3012, Switzerland
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Manfred Witte;
Manfred Witte
Max Planck Institute Aeronomie, Max‐Planck Strasse 2, Katlenburg Lindau, 37191, Germany
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Peter Wurz;
Peter Wurz
University of Bern, Physikalisches Institut, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, CH‐3012, Switzerland
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Gary Zank
Gary Zank
University of California Riverside, Inst. Geophy. & Planetary Physics Dept., Riverside CA 92521
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David McComas
Southwest Research Institute,P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228
Frederic Allegrini
Southwest Research Institute,P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228
Peter Bochsler
University of Bern, Physikalisches Institut, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, CH‐3012, Switzerland
Maciej Bzowski
Polish Academy of Sciences, Space Research Centre, Bartycka 18 A, 00‐716, Warsaw, Poland
Michael Collier
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 692, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Hans Fahr
University of Bonn, Auf dem Hugel 71, D‐53121, Bonn, Germany
Horst Fichtner
Ruhr‐Universitaet Bochum, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum‐und‐Astrophysic, D‐44780 Bochum Germany
Priscilla Frisch
University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
Herb Funsten
Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545
Steve Fuselier
Lockheed Martin, Space Physics Lab, 3251 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304
George Gloeckler
University of Maryland, Department of Physics, College Park, MD 20742
Mike Gruntman
University of Southern California, Aerospace Engineering Dept., Los Angeles, CA 90089
Vlad Izmodenov
Moscow State University, Vorob‐evy Gory, Glavnoe Zdanie MGU, 119899 Moscow, Russia
Paul Knappenberger
Adler Planetarium, 1300 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
Marty Lee
University of New Hampshire, Space Science Center, Morse Hall, Durham, NH 03824
Stefano Livi
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723
Don Mitchell
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723
Eberhard Möbius
University of New Hampshire, Space Science Center, Morse Hall, Durham, NH 03824
Tom Moore
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 692, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Dan Reisenfeld
Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545
Ed Roelof
Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723
Nathan Schwadron
Southwest Research Institute,P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228
Martin Wieser
University of Bern, Physikalisches Institut, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, CH‐3012, Switzerland
Manfred Witte
Max Planck Institute Aeronomie, Max‐Planck Strasse 2, Katlenburg Lindau, 37191, Germany
Peter Wurz
University of Bern, Physikalisches Institut, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, CH‐3012, Switzerland
Gary Zank
University of California Riverside, Inst. Geophy. & Planetary Physics Dept., Riverside CA 92521
AIP Conf. Proc. 719, 162–181 (2004)
Citation
David McComas, Frederic Allegrini, Peter Bochsler, Maciej Bzowski, Michael Collier, Hans Fahr, Horst Fichtner, Priscilla Frisch, Herb Funsten, Steve Fuselier, George Gloeckler, Mike Gruntman, Vlad Izmodenov, Paul Knappenberger, Marty Lee, Stefano Livi, Don Mitchell, Eberhard Möbius, Tom Moore, Dan Reisenfeld, Ed Roelof, Nathan Schwadron, Martin Wieser, Manfred Witte, Peter Wurz, Gary Zank; The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). AIP Conf. Proc. 15 September 2004; 719 (1): 162–181. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1809514
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