Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP): A New NASA Mission

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors

D. J. McComas, Princeton University
E. R. Christian, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Nathan A. Schwadron, University of New HampshireFollow
N. Fox, Johns Hopkins University
J. Westlake, Johns Hopkins University
F. Allegrini, University of Texas
D. N. Baker, University of Colorado
D. Biesecker, Space Weather Prediction Center
M. Bzowski, Space Research Centre
G. Clark, Johns Hopkins University
C. M. S. Cohen, California Institute of Technology
I. Cohen, Johns Hopkins University
M. A. Dayeh, University of Texas
R. Decker, Johns Hopkins University
G. A. de Nolfo, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
M. I. Desai, University of Texas
R. W. Ebert, Southwest Research Institute
H. A. Elliott, Southwest Research Institute
H. Fahr, Universität Bonn
P. C. Frisch, University of Chicago
H. O. Funsten, Los Alamos National Laboratory
S. A. Fuselier, Southwest Research Institute
A. Galli, University of Bern
Antoinette B. Galvin, University of New HampshireFollow
J. Giacalone, University of Arizona
M. Gkioulidou, Johns Hopkins University
F. Guo, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. Horanyi, University of Colorado Boulder
P. Isenberg, University of New Hampshire, Durham
P. Janzen, University of Montana
L. M. Kistler, University of New Hampshire, Durham
K. Korreck, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
M. A. Kubiak, Polish Academy of Sciences
H. Kucharek, University of New Hampshire, Durham
B. A. Larsen, Los Alamos National Laboratory
R. A. Leske, California Institute of Technology
Noe Lugaz, University of New HampshireFollow
J. Luhmann, University of California
W. Matthaeus, University of Delaware
D. Mitchell, Johns Hopkins University
E. Moebius, University of New Hampshire, Durham
K. Ogasawara, Southwest Research Institute
D. B. Reisenfeld, Los Alamos National Laboratory
J. D. Richardson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
C. T. Russell, University of California
J. M. Sokol, Polish Academy of Sciences
H. E. Spence, University of New Hampshire, Durham
R. Skoug, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Z. Sternovsky, University of Colorado Boulder
P. Swaczyna, Princeton University
J. R. Szalay, Princeton University
M. Tokumaru, Nagoya University
M. E. Wiedenbeck, California Institute of Technology
P. Wurz, University of Bern
G. P. Zank, University of Alabama in Huntsville
E. J. Zirnstein, Princeton University

Abstract

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. While seemingly disparate, these are intimately coupled because particles accelerated in the inner heliosphere play critical roles in the outer heliospheric interaction. Selected by NASA in 2018, IMAP is planned to launch in 2024. The IMAP spacecraft is a simple sun-pointed spinner in orbit about the Sun-Earth L1 point. IMAP’s ten instruments provide a complete and synergistic set of observations to simultaneously dissect the particle injection and acceleration processes at 1 AU while remotely probing the global heliospheric interaction and its response to particle populations generated by these processes. In situ at 1 AU, IMAP provides detailed observations of solar wind electrons and ions; suprathermal, pickup, and energetic ions; and the interplanetary magnetic field. For the outer heliosphere interaction, IMAP provides advanced global observations of the remote plasma and energetic ions over a broad energy range via energetic neutral atom imaging, and precise observations of interstellar neutral atoms penetrating the heliosphere. Complementary observations of interstellar dust and the ultraviolet glow of interstellar neutrals further deepen the physical understanding from IMAP. IMAP also continuously broadcasts vital real-time space weather observations. Finally, IMAP engages the broader Heliophysics community through a variety of innovative opportunities. This paper summarizes the IMAP mission at the start of Phase A development.

Publication Date

10-22-2018

Journal Title

Space Science Reviews

Publisher

Springer

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11214-018-0550-1

Document Type

Article

Recommended Citation

McComas, D.J., Christian, E.R., Schwadron, N.A. et al. Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP): A New NASA Mission. Space Sci Rev 214, 116 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-018-0550-1