NASA’s TRACERS spacecraft will look at the snap of magnetic field lines at the boundary between the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field.
Beyond plans to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo Era, NASA and other space agencies have their sights trained on Mars, Venus, and other deep-space destinations. To accomplish this, robust power systems are needed to provide ample power for spacecraft instruments and propulsion systems, thus reducing overall transit times. To this end, NASA is considering Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS), which have been used by the agency for over 60 years, most recently with the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on Mars and the upcoming Dragonfly mission destined for Titan.
