91制片厂

After six years of extensive preparations and testing by a 91制片厂-led team, a space instrument dubbed IMAP-Lo is now aboard a spacecraft and is readying for flight in 2025 to help scientists learn more about the sun鈥檚 interactions in the heliosphere and its environment in the nearby galaxy. The installation of IMAP-Lo onto the spacecraft is a significant milestone in the 91制片厂 team鈥檚 contributions to NASA鈥檚 Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission.

The , led by Princeton University,听studies two of the most critical problems in听heliophysics: the sun鈥檚 interaction听with听our local galactic environment, and the related question of how energetic particles are accelerated to high energies due to solar wind interactions throughout our heliosphere 鈥� the enveloping boundaries around the sun, the Earth and all the planets that helps to protect us from interstellar radiation.

The 91制片厂 team recently delivered their IMAP-Lo instrument to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, to go through integration with the other instruments. IMAP-Lo is one of 10 instruments that comprise IMAP; it will measure low-energy neutral atoms from the local galactic medium in the vicinity of the sun. It will also capture images of the interactions with the heliosphere using energetic neutral atoms.

IMAP-Lo carries components made at 91制片厂, Southwest Research Institute,听Johns听Hopkins Applied听Physics Laboratory, the听University of Bern, and Sierra Space. Its central time-of-flight system was assembled at Princeton University, and the instrument was calibrated at Princeton University, 91制片厂 and听the University of Bern. 听

Engineers听and scientists听have听performed听extensive听tests听to ensure听IMAP-Lo听can properly communicate with the spacecraft听and function with spacecraft systems.听

鈥淥ur team has surmounted an incredible array of hurdles to reach this point. We are proud to deliver an outstanding instrument to IMAP that will allow us to take the next quantum leap in understanding the properties of the听outer heliosphere and听local interstellar medium,鈥� says ,听lead听for听IMAP-Lo and one of two deputy听principal听investigators for the mission. 鈥淚MAP-Lo directly measures the atoms in space that听travel through our solar system from the local galactic medium. The instrument is capable of pivoting to track the interstellar flow throughout the听year, and听is capable of imaging the low energy energetic neutral atoms critical for understanding how our solar wind interacts with and inflates the protective听envelope听that surrounds听our solar system.鈥澨�

The public and scientific community are invited to witness the of the cleanroom at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, where the spacecraft is currently being integrated with its scientific payloads and tested. Viewers can watch the stream at any time to witness the various stages of spacecraft assembly.听

Princeton University professor David J. McComas leads the听IMAP听mission with an international team of 25 partner institutions. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel,听Maryland builds the spacecraft and operates the mission. IMAP is the fifth mission in NASA鈥檚 Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP)听program portfolio. The Explorers and听Heliophysics听Project Division at NASA鈥檚 Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the STP Program for the agency鈥檚听Heliophysics听Division of NASA鈥檚 Science Mission Directorate.听