The Heliosphere From Top to Bottom: Close Out of the Ecliptic Solar Orbiter Now and Then Beyond the Heliopause
Whitepaper #401 in the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024-2033. Main topics: basic research. Additional topics: inner heliosphere; solar physics; space-based missions/projects.
by Slava G. Turyshev, Sarah Gibson, Marco Velli, Paulett C. Liewer, Donald M. Hassler, Darren Garber, Artur R. Davoyan, and Louis D. Friedman
Published onJul 31, 2023
The Heliosphere From Top to Bottom: Close Out of the Ecliptic Solar Orbiter Now and Then Beyond the Heliopause
With solar sailing propulsion capable of reaching the velocities of ~5–10 AU/year, missions to the Jovian system would take 2 years, and missions to Saturn, 3. Fast, low-cost, maneuverable sailcraft open new opportunities for solar system exploration. Missions may cost only a few tens of millions of dollars and could be modularized to reach different destinations with different instruments.
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