
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Workers in Building 1555 at Vandenberg AFB help guide the wing toward the Pegasus rocket for installation. The Pegasus will launch NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission, or IBEX, satellite from Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands, South Pacific. IBEX will make the first map of the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space. IBEX is the first mission designed to detect the edge of the solar system. As the solar wind from the sun flows out beyond Pluto, it collides with the material between the stars, forming a shock front. IBEX contains two neutral atom imagers designed to detect particles from the termination shock at the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space. IBEX also will study galactic cosmic rays, energetic particles from beyond the solar system that pose a health and safety hazard for humans exploring beyond Earth orbit. IBEX will make these observations from a highly elliptical orbit that takes it beyond the interference of the Earth's magnetosphere. IBEX is targeted for launch in September 2008. Photo credit: NASA/ Randy Beaudoin
Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use. Credit NASA as the source. Check NASA's media usage guidelines for details. Images featuring identifiable individuals may require additional permissions.
NASA ID
KSC-08pd1864
Date Created
June 24, 2008
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Vandenberg AFB, CA
Download this image in multiple resolutions. All NASA media are free for public use.
Large
1920px