NASA is considering sending a probe into space to study the sun’s heliosphere

NASA has many active science projects, and is continuing to develop new missions, that will attempt to answer some of the unanswered questions related to our solar system. Among these missions there is a very special mission, which could reveal new information related to the Sun.

This mission still has no name and will aim for that Reaching the edge of the solar system Through a new type of probe, to monitor the physical properties ofHeliosphereThe area of ​​space that is affected by the sun A hundred times bigger The distance that exists today between the star and the Earth.

Although it may seem crazy to send a probe out of the system, considering that today we already have two Voyager missions that have reached these distances, we must remember that the technology on board the probes is fifty years old and that it was not designed to study, for example example, Effects of solar explosions The solar wind is outside the orbit of Neptune.

Astronomers also remind us that the heliosphere constantly protects us from radiation and gamma-ray bursts arriving from different directions of the universe. So study “Our shield” From interstellar space could be interesting, as well as understanding other mysteries of the universe.

One of the most interesting questions astronomers are asking themselves right now is what it is The shape of our heliosphere. In fact, current models are unable to explain to us whether they are spherical in shape or more closely resemble the shape of a cloud.

Given the size of the solar system, it is clear that such a probe would travel for decades before reaching interstellar space, with a significant increase in the costs and effort that engineers would have to expend to maintain contact with the probe. However, the success achieved by the New Horizons probe, which it achieved in less than 10 years PlutoIn 2015, he demonstrated that with modern technologies, travel can be faster and that probes can reach the edges of the solar system faster.

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