WEBVTT

00:00:03.934 --> 00:00:06.934
[rocket rumbling]

00:00:06.934 --> 00:00:12.934
[dramatic music]

00:00:18.834 --> 00:00:21.000
>> HEY, FOLKS.
WELCOME TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:22.234
I'M AMBER WHALEN.

00:00:22.234 --> 00:00:24.033
ALL RIGHT,
LET'S GET STARTED.

00:00:27.334 --> 00:00:29.400
SO A CURFEW,
THAT'S A BOUNDARY.

00:00:29.400 --> 00:00:32.367
IN FACT, PARENTS TEND TO GIVE
LOTS OF BOUNDARIES, DON'T THEY?

00:00:32.367 --> 00:00:34.567
BUT WHAT OBJECTS
CAN HAVE BOUNDARIES TOO?

00:00:34.567 --> 00:00:37.367
LIKE THE DESK YOU'RE SITTING AT,
IT HAS TO END EVENTUALLY.

00:00:37.367 --> 00:00:38.734
EARTH HAS BOUNDARIES.

00:00:38.734 --> 00:00:41.934
THERE IS A POINT WHERE
EARTH ENDS AND SPACE BEGINS.

00:00:41.934 --> 00:00:43.634
BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM?

00:00:43.634 --> 00:00:46.934
WHERE DOES OUR SOLAR SYSTEM END
AND EVERYTHING ELSE BEGIN?

00:00:46.934 --> 00:00:48.133
GOOD QUESTION.

00:00:48.133 --> 00:00:50.901
UNFORTUNATELY, THOUGH,
NOT A SIMPLE ANSWER.

00:00:50.901 --> 00:00:52.400
THE LIMITS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

00:00:52.400 --> 00:00:54.400
ARE ACTUALLY CONTROLLED
BY OUR SUN.

00:00:54.400 --> 00:00:56.634
NOW, I KNOW THIS MIGHT SOUND
PRETTY ODD.

00:00:56.634 --> 00:00:59.100
HOW CAN OUR SUN, WHICH SITS
DIRECTLY IN THE CENTER

00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:00.200
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:01.767
BE THE CAUSE OF ITS BOUNDARIES?

00:01:01.767 --> 00:01:03.100
ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION,

00:01:03.100 --> 00:01:05.300
ONLY THIS ONE
HAS AN EASIER ANSWER.

00:01:05.300 --> 00:01:08.234
OUR SUN IS A SOURCE
OF LOTS OF ENERGY.

00:01:08.234 --> 00:01:10.300
SOLAR WINDS EJECTED
FROM THE SUN

00:01:10.300 --> 00:01:12.901
RACE OUTWARDS IN ALL DIRECTIONS
THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

00:01:12.901 --> 00:01:15.601
THIS CREATES AN ENORMOUS
BUBBLE-LIKE REGION.

00:01:15.601 --> 00:01:17.467
WE CALL THIS THE HELIOSPHERE.

00:01:17.467 --> 00:01:19.334
SO WHAT'S BEYOND
THE HELIOSPHERE?

00:01:19.334 --> 00:01:21.300
IT'S CALLED
THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM.

00:01:21.300 --> 00:01:22.934
BASICALLY, THIS IS THE NAME

00:01:22.934 --> 00:01:26.133
GIVEN TO ALL THAT "STUFF"
THAT'S IN SPACE BETWEEN STARS.

00:01:26.133 --> 00:01:29.300
IT'S MADE UP MAINLY OF GASES
LIKE HYDROGEN AND HELIUM.

00:01:29.300 --> 00:01:30.834
OKAY, SO LET'S STOP BEING

00:01:30.834 --> 00:01:32.601
SO SOLAR-SYSTEM-CENTRIC
ABOUT THIS

00:01:32.601 --> 00:01:33.934
AND TAKE A LOOK
AT THE HELIOSPHERE

00:01:33.934 --> 00:01:35.567
FROM THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE BUBBLE.

00:01:35.567 --> 00:01:36.934
OUR SPIRALED MILKY WAY GALAXY

00:01:36.934 --> 00:01:39.267
IS HOME
TO OVER 100 BILLION STARS.

00:01:39.267 --> 00:01:42.801
THIS INCLUDES OUR MOST FAVORITE,
THE SUN.

00:01:42.801 --> 00:01:44.534
THE SPACE BETWEEN
ALL THESE STARS,

00:01:44.534 --> 00:01:46.033
OR THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM,

00:01:46.033 --> 00:01:48.133
IS FILLED WITH DANGEROUS
COSMIC RAYS.

00:01:48.133 --> 00:01:50.300
SO AS THE SUN
AND ALL ITS PLANETS

00:01:50.300 --> 00:01:52.033
MOVE THROUGH
THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM,

00:01:52.033 --> 00:01:53.801
THE HELIOSPHERE
ACTS AS THE BUFFER

00:01:53.801 --> 00:01:56.200
AND WARDS OFF
MOST OF THE HARMFUL COSMIC RAYS.

00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:58.901
SCIENTISTS HAVE GOOD EVIDENCE
TO SUPPORT THESE IDEAS,

00:01:58.901 --> 00:02:01.501
BUT THERE ARE STILL
A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS,

00:02:01.501 --> 00:02:04.734
SUCH AS, WHERE EXACTLY
ARE THESE BOUNDARIES LOCATED?

00:02:04.734 --> 00:02:07.367
WHAT IS THE ACTUAL SHAPE OF THIS
BUBBLE THAT SURROUNDS US?

00:02:07.367 --> 00:02:09.634
DOES THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM
AFFECT THE HELIOSPHERE

00:02:09.634 --> 00:02:11.501
DIFFERENTLY IN VARIOUS PLACES?

00:02:11.501 --> 00:02:13.367
TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS
AND MORE,

00:02:13.367 --> 00:02:14.667
SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS

00:02:14.667 --> 00:02:18.200
BUILT THE INTERSTELLAR
BOUNDARY EXPLORER, OR IBEX.

00:02:18.200 --> 00:02:19.834
ITS MAIN JOB WILL BE
TO MAP OUT

00:02:19.834 --> 00:02:21.400
THE BOUNDARIES
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:23.834
STUDYING THE ORIGINATING
LOCATION OF THESE PARTICLES

00:02:23.834 --> 00:02:25.133
WILL HELP SCIENTISTS

00:02:25.133 --> 00:02:27.601
GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF OUR HELIOSPHERE.

00:02:27.601 --> 00:02:30.267
SO IBEX WAS LAUNCHED
ON OCTOBER 19, 2008,

00:02:30.267 --> 00:02:33.100
BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING PRETTY
DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS LAUNCH.

00:02:33.100 --> 00:02:34.934
YOU'VE ALL SEEN
SHUTTLE LAUNCHES BEFORE

00:02:34.934 --> 00:02:36.334
OR A ROCKET LAUNCH, RIGHT?

00:02:36.334 --> 00:02:39.000
PRETTY AMAZING STUFF,
BUT VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE.

00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:41.033
IBEX, BEING THE SIZE
OF A BUS TIRE,

00:02:41.033 --> 00:02:42.801
WAS A SMALL ENOUGH SPACECRAFT

00:02:42.801 --> 00:02:44.868
TO BE LAUNCHED
ON A PEGASUS ROCKET.

00:02:44.868 --> 00:02:46.300
ENGINEERS DEVELOPED THIS ROCKET

00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:48.634
TO LAUNCH FROM 40,000 FEET
IN THE AIR.

00:02:48.634 --> 00:02:50.000
IT DETACHES FROM AN AIRPLANE,

00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:51.767
FREE-FALLS
FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS,

00:02:51.767 --> 00:02:53.934
AND THEN TAKES OFF
TOWARDS LOWER-EARTH ORBIT.

00:02:53.934 --> 00:02:56.901
FROM THERE, THE IBEX TEAM
USED AN ADDITIONAL ROCKET

00:02:56.901 --> 00:02:59.033
MOUNTED TO THE BOTTOM
OF THEIR SPACECRAFT

00:02:59.033 --> 00:03:01.467
TO BOOST THE ORBIT
NEARLY ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON.

00:03:01.467 --> 00:03:04.767
I MUST SAY,
TECHNOLOGY IS TOTALLY AMAZING.

00:03:04.767 --> 00:03:07.834
IT BLOWS MY MIND THAT SCIENTISTS
AND ENGINEERS CAN BUILD A TOOL

00:03:07.834 --> 00:03:09.534
THAT HAS THE ABILITY
TO STUDY SOMETHING

00:03:09.534 --> 00:03:11.701
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
OF MILES AWAY FROM US.

00:03:11.701 --> 00:03:13.834
GUESS THAT'S WHY
THEY MAKE THE BIG BUCKS.

00:03:13.834 --> 00:03:15.167
WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW.

00:03:15.167 --> 00:03:16.267
I'M AMBER WHALEN.

00:03:16.267 --> 00:03:17.834
THANKS FOR WATCHING
"NASA LAUNCHPAD."