Models, Evidence and Explanation in NASA Science

Lindsay Marie Bartolone

Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum

Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)

Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 2National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Examples of Models?

What models have you seen today?

Galileo's "Jovilabe", 17th century Image Credit: Istituto e

Museo di Storia della Scienza, Florence

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 3National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Examples of Evidence?

What evidence has been provided to support a

model?

Spectrum Image Credit: Imagine the Universe:

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/teachers/lessons/xray_spectra/works

heet-specgraph2-sol.html

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 4National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Model of the solar system that changes over time?

What is in a model of the Solar

System?

Where does the solar system end?

NASA’s Kepler mission planet transit model

Image Credit: Lindsay Bartolone

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 5National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A simple 2-D model of the termination shock

Movie Credit: IBEX Science Team

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 6National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The “flowing water termination shock model” illustrated:

Heliopause

Termination shock

Solar wind

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 7National Aeronautics and Space Administration

What can we use to define the boundary of our Solar System?

The heliosphere defines one

type of boundary of our

Solar System.

The boundary of our Solar

System is defined by the

region where the solar

wind and the interstellar

medium collide.

An artist’s rendition of our heliosphere.

Image credit: Walt Feimer, NASA

GSFC

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 8National Aeronautics and Space Administration

What is IBEX?IBEX is a NASA-funded Small Explorer

satellite mission to orbit Earth and map the boundary of the Solar System.

The acronym IBEX stands for Interstellar Boundary Explorer.

An artist’s rendition of the IBEX spacecraft. Image Credit: Walt Feimer, NASA GSFC

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 9National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The current model of the HeliosphereModel: Strong vs Weak shock

Evidence: IBEX will

dramatically increase the

amount of data that we

have about the boundary

of the Solar System.

Explanation:???

Sample Global ENA Map with Voyager 1 and 2 positions inset. Image Credit: IBEX Team

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 10National Aeronautics and Space Administration

How will IBEX data create a map of the boundary?

Movie Credit: IBEX Team

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 11National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Model of the Universe that changes over time?

Has the Universe always been the

same?

Will it be the same forever?

WMAP Full Sky Map Image credits: NASA/WMAP

Science Team

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 12National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Model of the Universe that changes over time?

Has the Universe always been the same?

Will it be the same forever?

Journey through the Universe Image credit: NASA/WMAP

Science Team

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 13National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Model of the Universe that changes over time?

Model: Big Bang Theory and

Inflation

Ripples in the Universe Image credit: NASA/WMAP

Science Team

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 14National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Model of the Universe that changes over time?

Evidence: WMAP Full sky maps

WMAP Full Sky Map Image credit:

NASA/WMAP Science Team

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 15National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Model of the Universe that changes over time?

Explanation: Big Bang Theory predicts

left over light an heat from early

Universe that is very uniform. Inflation

predicts certain average size “spots”

and that is what we observe. So the

Universe was dense and hot in the

past, has expanded and cooled ever

since.

WMAP Full Sky Map Image credit: NASA/WMAP Science

Team

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 16National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Resources?IBEX Homepage: http://ibex.swri.edu

WMAP Homepage: http://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov

US IYA page: http://astronomy2009.org

Model the Universe and other resources:

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/seuforum/learningresources.htm

To get this presentation:

Put your email address on the sign in sheet

IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer - An Electronic Resource for Educators 17National Aeronautics and Space Administration