NASA Interview Opportunity: Groundbreaking New NASA Mission Will Give Us The Most Detailed Look Yet At Our Solar System’s Shield

Join a NASA expert on September 22 to preview this upcoming launch!

Quick Summary:
Ready to launch! Trio of NASA, NOAA spacecraft set to launch Sept. 23, at 7:32 a.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to unlock the mysteries of solar weather
Exploring the Sun’s invisible shield: NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, will create detailed maps of the bubble that protects our entire solar system from the dangerous cosmic radiation of interstellar space.
One rocket, three spacecraft: Launching alongside IMAP is NOAA’s critical space weather tracking satellite and a NASA mission to study how Earth’s uppermost atmosphere responds to solar storms.
Critical early warning system: NOAA's Space Weather Follow On - Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory is the agency’s first satellite observatory designed specifically for – and fully dedicated to – continuous, space weather observations that will provide a critical early warning for incoming solar storms that can threaten astronauts, satellites, and infrastructure on Earth.
Far-out orbit: IMAP and these other missions will orbit a million miles from Earth in a prime location to monitor and track solar storms — providing near real-time data about solar radiation — and observe space weather’s effects on our planet.
Focus on how space weather impacts on Earth: NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is the first mission dedicated to global observations of how Earth's outer atmosphere responds to solar storms.

Interview Details:
Live interviews are available Monday, September 22, from 6 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT
Click here to request an interview: https://forms.gle/KspuHZBgRa78QLAr9
Requests sent via the above form will have scheduling priority.
Please do not email requests.
* nasa.gov/imap and on social media @NASASolarSystem

All eyes are on NASA's next trailblazing mission, set to launch on Sept. 23rd from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, is a cosmic explorer on a mission to piece together detailed maps of the invisible shield, the heliosphere, that surrounds our solar system. IMAP will aim to understand the boundary between where our heliosphere ends and interstellar space begins – and that’s just one piece of the puzzle that IMAP will be examining. With its 10 cutting-edge instruments, IMAP will keep a watchful eye on the charged particles from the Sun that fill the solar system, tracking them until they cross this boundary where they mix with interstellar stardust.

IMAP will capture in great detail the boundary dividing our solar system and the Milky Way galaxy. The heliosphere is our solar system’s first line of defense from interstellar space radiation. Without this shield, Earth and the entire solar system would be constantly bombarded with dangerous levels of cosmic rays.

IMAP will send back real-time data to scientists that could help protect astronauts and spacecraft from solar radiation, as well as give operators of power grids and infrastructure on the ground advanced warning of incoming storms. A modern-day celestial cartographer, IMAP is ready to uncover the mysteries of our universe one measurement at a time.

Three Space Weather Missions in One Launch
Joining IMAP on this rocket launch are two additional spacecraft:
NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1, or SWFO-L1.

The Carruthers observatory will study the ultraviolet glow of the uppermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere, called the geocorona, and how it responds to solar storms. It will be the first continuous observation of this particular layer of our atmosphere.

NOAA’s SWFO-L1 observatory will play a vital role in keeping a watchful eye on the Sun and the near-Earth environment for space weather activity, monitoring coronal mass ejections and measuring the solar wind in real time. This is NOAA’s first satellite designed specifically for and fully dedicated to continuous, operational space weather observations. Data from SWFO-L1 will reach forecasters at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center within 30 minutes of acquisition to assess the severity of solar storms and give operators critical lead time to take precautionary actions that protect our vital infrastructure on the ground and in space. Tracking solar storms is especially important as NASA prepares to send astronauts around the Moon next spring with the Artemis program.

Suggested Anchor Intro:
Outer space has its own weather — storms from the Sun that can harm satellites, astronauts, and even our own power grids right here on Earth. Tomorrow morning, NASA is launching three new spacecraft that will map space weather and the Sun’s influence across our solar system.

Here to talk about this exciting new mission is NASA [or NOAA] expert XX.

Questions for NASA’s IMAP expert:
1. Tomorrow morning NASA will launch three new spacecraft including IMAP, which you work on. Before we dive into this mission, can you briefly tell us more about what’s launching tomorrow?
2. Can you explain in simple terms how our Sun creates this massive protective bubble, and why it is so critical for space exploration and life on Earth?
3. Next year NASA will send astronauts around the Moon with its Artemis program. Can you tell us why understanding space weather is so critical for human space flight missions?
4. IMAP has a suite of 10 cutting-edge instruments onboard. To give us a sense of what it’ll be doing, can you talk about one or two of your favorite things that IMAP will be studying?
5. Where can our viewers learn more about this mission?
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/
nasa.gov/sun
@nasasolarsystem

IMAP extra questions:
1. Can you tell us more about the high-energy particles that come from the Sun and what IMAP will reveal about them?
2. These missions are observing space weather. What happens if they get hit by a solar storm?
3. IMAP and the other satellites launching on this “rideshare” will be placed in a special orbit a million miles from Earth. Why was this location chosen?

Questions for NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory:
1. Tomorrow morning NASA will launch three new spacecraft including the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, which you work on. Before we dive into this mission, can you briefly tell us more about what’s launching tomorrow?
2. Can you tell us more about what exactly the Carruthers mission will be measuring, and why that’s important for understanding space weather?
3. This observatory and the other satellites launching on this “rideshare” will be placed in a special orbit a million miles from Earth. Why was this location chosen?
4. I understand that the Carruthers mission continues work from Apollo 16. Can you tell us more about that and how it connects to the mission today?
5. Next year NASA will send astronauts around the Moon with its Artemis program. Can you tell us why understanding space weather is so critical for human space flight missions?
6. Where can our viewers learn more about this mission?
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/
nasa.gov/sun
@nasasolarsystem

Questions for NOAA’s SWFO-L1:
1. Tomorrow morning NASA will launch three new spacecraft including NOAA’s powerful new space weather monitoring satellite, which you work on. Before we dive into this mission, can you briefly tell us more about what’s launching tomorrow?
2. Let’s dive into SWFO L-1. How will this mission help NOAA provide space weather warnings and alerts?
3. Why is early detection of solar storms important for protecting our infrastructure here on Earth?
4. Next year NASA will send astronauts around the Moon with its Artemis program. Can you tell us why this space weather warning system is so critical for human space flight missions?
SWFO L-1 and the other satellites launching on this “rideshare” will be placed in a special orbit a million miles from Earth. Why was this location chosen?
5. Where can our viewers learn more about this mission?
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/
nasa.gov/sun
@nasasolarsystem