An Interstellar Probe for the next Heliophysics Decadal Survey
- Paper number
IAC-19,D4,4,1,x51106
- Author
Dr. Ralph L. McNutt, Jr., United States, The John Hopkins University
- Coauthor
Prof.Dr. Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber, Germany, University of Kiel
- Coauthor
Prof. Mike Gruntman, United States, Viterbi School of Engineering, USC
- Coauthor
Prof. Stamatios Krimigis, United States, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Coauthor
Dr. Edmond Roelof, United States, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Coauthor
Dr. Pontus Brandt, United States, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Coauthor
Dr. Kathleen Mandt, United States, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Coauthor
Mr. Steven Vernon, United States, The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Coauthor
Mr. Michael Paul, United States, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Coauthor
Mr. Robert Stough, United States, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Marshall Space Flight Center
- Year
2019
- Abstract
Interstellar Probe is a dedicated mission through the outer heliosphere and into the interstellar medium beyond. It has been under discussion for almost 60 years. There has been a renewed interest both in the mission’s traditional “home,” NASA’s Heliophysics Division (and its precursor NASA subdivisions), and also in the broader space science community. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is, therefore, interested in a mission architecture that could serve a more broadly defined set of science goals. These include but are not limited to: studying the heliosphere as a habitable astrosphere, investigating the formation and evolution of planetary systems, and uncovering early galaxy and star formation. These goals are all enabled by the unique vantage point of a properly instrumented robotic craft, traveling rapidly and far from the Sun and away from the dust within which most of the planets, including the Earth, are situated. With planning beginning for the next Heliophysics Decadal Survey study by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, NASA’s Heliophysics Division has tasked the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to provide scientific and technical input to support those activities. These focus on determining how a “near-term” Interstellar Probe mission might be implemented during the time period covered by the next decadal surveys, that is, roughly by the year 2030. The study focuses on the key scientific and technical questions facing of such an ambitious mission. Some of these questions include: can NASA fly a credible mission by 2030? Does the science case remain compelling? What is the technical readiness for a launch in that time period? Can new large launch vehicles, e.g., the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B, enable such a mission? What engineering challenges remain with payload mass and power constraints, mission longevity, communications capability, and radioisotope power system performance and lifetime. Such an Interstellar Probe would use today’s technology to take the first explicit step on the path of interstellar exploration.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-19,D4,4,1,x51106.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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