Research Professor George Gloeckler Talks about NASA's IBEX Mission in Nature

Posted: February 2, 2012

Download File(s):
Ulysses-mission-graphic.txt

AOSS Research Professor George Gloeckler talks about NASA's IBEX mission in the latest issue of Nature. Dr. Gloeckler was a member of the Ulysses mission, which ended in 2009, which also (like IBEX) measured neutral helium from beyond the heliosphere.

However, IBEX is the first to measure heavier elements, such as oxygen and neon, that formed in the nuclear cores of stars and were later scattered into space as those stars expired. These recent findings have led the IBEX team to picture the leading edge of the heliosphere as flatter, or more snub-nosed than previously imagined. “It’s a challenge to the Ulysses measurements,” says Gloeckler. Read more about the IBEX findings at NATURE.

Learn more about AOSS' involvement with the Ulysses mission: http://aoss.engin.umich.edu/articles/view/87

Related Stories and Links

View Past Solar System Exploration Missions: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=SolarSys&Era=Past

View Present Solar System Exploration Missions: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=SolarSys&Era=Present

View Future Solar System Exploration Missions: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=SolarSys&MCode=JWST