What is in store for IBEX’s future?
The primary mission of IBEX will last for two years. It takes this amount of time for IBEX to map the heliosphere once. If the spacecraft is healthy in mid-2010, and if budget permits, then the mission may be extended. From 2008 to 2010, the Sun’s activity level will increase, which may push the heliosphere outward and/or change its shape. Over the next few years, as the Sun’s activity level decreases, the heliosphere may change, as well. Because the amount of solar wind particles streaming from the Sun depends, in part, on how active the Sun is, scientists are eager to make several maps of the heliosphere, not just one.
