Solar Wind Around Pluto
E532528
Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) is an instrument aboard NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft designed to study how the solar wind interacts with Pluto’s atmosphere and the outer reaches of the solar system.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
plasma spectrometer
ⓘ
solar wind detector ⓘ spacecraft instrument ⓘ |
| alternateName | SWAP NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contributedTo |
constraints on Pluto’s atmospheric escape rate
ⓘ
discovery that Pluto’s atmosphere is more compact than expected ⓘ |
| countryOfOperator |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| dataType |
ion count rates
ⓘ
ion energy spectra ⓘ solar wind flux measurements ⓘ |
| designedFor |
low-density solar wind at large heliocentric distances
ⓘ
measurements beyond 30 astronomical units ⓘ |
| developer | Southwest Research Institute NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| energyRange | approximately 25 eV to 7.5 keV ⓘ |
| fieldOfView | large field of view for low-density solar wind ⓘ |
| flybyDate | 2015-07-14 ⓘ |
| flybyTarget | Pluto NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchDate | 2006-01-19 ⓘ |
| launchSite | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchVehicle | Atlas V 551 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locationOnSpacecraft | New Horizons payload deck ⓘ |
| manufacturer | Southwest Research Institute NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mass | approximately 3.3 kilograms ⓘ |
| measures |
ion composition of solar wind
ⓘ
solar wind density ⓘ solar wind speed ⓘ solar wind temperature ⓘ |
| mission | New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| missionPhase |
Kuiper Belt extended mission
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pluto encounter phase in 2015 ⓘ |
| operator | NASA ⓘ |
| orbits | Sun (via New Horizons trajectory) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | New Horizons NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| powerConsumption | approximately 2.3 watts ⓘ |
| primaryObjective |
investigate atmospheric escape from Pluto via solar wind interaction
ⓘ
measure solar wind properties in the outer heliosphere ⓘ study interaction of solar wind with Pluto’s atmosphere ⓘ |
| principalInvestigator | David J. McComas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| scientificDiscipline |
heliophysics
ⓘ
planetary science ⓘ |
| spacecraft | New Horizons spacecraft NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| status |
continuing to collect heliospheric data in the outer solar system
ⓘ
operational during Pluto flyby in 2015 ⓘ |
| studies |
Pluto’s atmospheric escape
ⓘ
pickup ions ⓘ solar wind ⓘ solar wind interaction with Kuiper Belt objects ⓘ |
| teamInstitution | Southwest Research Institute NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| uses |
electrostatic analyzer
ⓘ
time-of-flight detection for ions ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.