The Interstellar Probe will probably use carbon based sail instead of mylar, which will give added resistance from the intense heat as the Interstellar Probe reaches .25 A.U. of the Sun
These instruments will help make a much more accurate picture of the heliosphere. The energetic neutral atom imager will map the 3D structure of the termination shock while the UV photometer will probe the structure of the hydrogen wall, a localized region of increased neutral hydrogen density just beyond the heliopause. The infrared photometer will map the distribution of tiny dust particles and galactic and cosmic infrared emission. *
"There is some concern", says Dr. Liewer, "what will happen as the Interstellar Probe reaches the termination shock, which is the point at which solar ionized gas slows down past the sound barrier. What affect this "shock" will have on the spacecraft's instruments is to some extent uncertain, she says.
Scientists hope to discover what the implications of surrounding interstellar space will have on life on earth. Low energy cosmic rays from interstellar space could have a profound long term affect on evolution and in rare cases may be catastrophic. Currently our solar system lies in a "bubble" of low density interstellar wind, but how long will that be? What will happen when the solar system encounters denser clouds of interstellar gas? Scientists suggest the size of the heliosphere, in this situation, could shrink to a distance less than the distance of the most outer planets in our solar system. How would this affect earth? And perhaps most frightening of all: what will happen if a neighboring star erupts into a supernova?
*=(P.C. Liewer, R.A. Mewaldt, J.A. Ayon, and R.A. Wallace. Space Technology and Applications International Forum-2000 American Institute of Physics 2000)
Related Web Sites:
If looking for a Magento UK expert.