Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission simultaneously investigates the acceleration of particles expelled from the Sun, and how the interaction of these particles with the local interstellar medium shapes our heliospheric boundary. The IMAP observatory makes critical measurements that facilitate this ground breaking science by incorporating a spin stabilized spacecraft orbiting around the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point, L1, with a payload comprised of ten unique instruments, making comprehensive and synergistic observations of solar wind, suprathermal, energetic particles and magnetic field, energetic neutral atoms mapping the boundary of our heliosphere, as well as interstellar neutral atoms and dust. This paper provides details on the design, integration, and testing of the IMAP observatory.
Source: Space Science Reviews
Authors: K. P. Hegarty, S. Kubota, M. Cully, D. J. McComas, E. R. Christian, N. A. Schwadron, M. Gkioulidou, S. Bushman, C. Collura, M. Dauberman, C. Drabenstadt, A. Driesman, A. Dubill, B. Duffy, E. Coleman, D. Eng, C. J. Ercol, A. Gerger, R. Hall, J. Hahn, M. Haque, S. Hefter, D. Jeong, D. Jones, J. Kelman, C. Krupiarz, F. Kujawa, C. Lippe, D. Matlin, C. Monaco, D. Myers, E. Rivera Sepulveda, D. Rodriguez, L. Roufberg, J. Scherrer, M. Schwinger, A. Shin, F. Siddique, E. Smith, R. Smith, M. Tapley, S. Vernon, C. Vigil, S. Weidner
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,290
Funder: Marshall Space Flight Center
Award: G6260622418
OpenAlex ID: W7126076806