// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Heliopause
The heliopause is the boundary where the Sun's solar wind is stopped by the interstellar medium, marking the outer edge of the heliosphere. It's where our solar system ends and interstellar space begins.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
The theoretical boundary in space where the solar wind's pressure is balanced by the pressure of the interstellar medium, marking the outer edge of the heliosphere and the beginning of interstellar space, crossed by the Voyager probes.
BACKGROUND
Outer space, or simply space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth's atmosphere and between celestial bodies. It contains ultra-low levels of particle densities, constituting a near-perfect vacuum of predominantly hydrogen and helium plasma, permeated by electromagnetic radiation, cosmic rays, neutrinos, magnetic fields and dust. The baseline temperature of outer space, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvins.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Edge of heliosphere
- Solar wind boundary
- Interstellar boundary
- Termination shock boundary
USAGE NOTE
The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have crossed the heliopause into interstellar space.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Heliopause.
A U.S. government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics and aerospace research, including missions that have explored and crossed the heliopause.
An intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space, with various missions contributing to heliophysics and the study of the heliosphere.
A federally funded research and development center and NASA field center managed by Caltech, responsible for building and operating robotic planetary spacecraft, including the Voyager probes that explored the heliopause.
An independent, nonprofit applied research and development organization involved in various space science and engineering fields, including heliophysics and instrumentation for deep space missions.
A university-affiliated research center that provides research and development support to the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and other government agencies, with significant contributions to space exploration and heliophysics missions.