The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) is a revolutionary mission that simultaneously investigates two of the most important overarching issues in Heliophysics today: the acceleration of energetic particles and interaction of the solar wind with the local interstellar medium.
Research News
Thursday, Oct 4, 2018
On Oct. 3, 2018, Parker Solar Probe performed the first significant celestial maneuver of its seven-year mission.
Friday, Sep 21, 2018
One month after its successful launch, Parker Solar Probe — a NASA’s robotic spacecraft designed to explore the Sun’s atmosphere — has collected and transmitted its first data...
Friday, Aug 17, 2018
Nonthermal pickup ions (PUIs) are created in the solar wind (SW) by charge-exchange between SW ions (SWIs) and slow interstellar neutral atoms. It has long been theorized, but not directly observed that PUIs should be preferentially heated at quasiperpendicular shocks compared to thermal SWIs.
Monday, Aug 13, 2018
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — On Aug 12 at 3:31a, three massive booster engines lifted a Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the Parker Solar Probe — including ...
Wednesday, Aug 8, 2018
At about 4a on Aug 11, the Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral carrying ISʘIS, an instrument suite led by Princeton’s David McComas to measure...
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2018
We seek to understand the quantitative role of the dominant physical processes (charge-exchange, adiabatic heating, stochastic acceleration) governing the proton distribution in the heliotail using observations of hydrogen energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX).
Friday, Jun 1, 2018
In a press release issued on June 1, 2018, NASA announced the selection of a proposal team lead by Professor David J. McComas at Princeton University to lead the upcoming Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission. IMAP is a part of NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP) Program in NASA's Science Mission Directorate Heliophysics...
Friday, Jun 1, 2018
In late 2014, the solar wind dynamic pressure increased by ~50% over a relatively short time (~6 months). In early 2017, the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) observed an increase in heliospheric energetic neutral atom (ENA) fluxes from directions near the front of the heliosphere.
Friday, Apr 27, 2018
Our heliosphere—the bubble in the local interstellar medium produced by the Sun’s outflowing solar wind—has finally responded to a large increase in solar wind output and pressure in the second half of 2014.
