Creating a Digital Twin of the Heliosphere

The SHIELD DRIVE Science Center embarks on an ambitious endeavor to construct a comprehensive "digital twin" of the heliosphere, the vast protective bubble surrounding our solar system. This involves meticulously defining, quantifying, and implementing all pertinent physical processes that shape the heliosphere, which is formed by the dynamic interaction of the solar wind and the interstellar medium (ISM). Understanding this interaction is crucial, as the heliosphere acts as a vital shield, mitigating the potentially harmful effects of galactic radiation and other ISM constituents that pose a threat to both life on Earth and the advancement of robotic and human space exploration.

The heliosphere's protective role has profound impacts on humanity. By filtering harmful radiation and deflecting interstellar gas and dust, it creates a relatively safe haven within the solar system. This shielding is particularly important for safeguarding spacecraft and astronauts venturing beyond Earth's immediate vicinity, as exposure to unfiltered radiation and high-velocity dust particles can severely compromise mission success and pose significant health risks. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the heliosphere's dynamics is essential for ensuring the safety and efficacy of future space exploration initiatives.

SHIELD's contributions to the broader scientific community are multifaceted. First, it aims to establish a consensus on the critical physical processes governing the heliosphere's structure. Second, it seeks to provide valuable insights for current and future space missions, aiding in the prediction of encountered phenomena and the optimization of measurement strategies. Third, by illuminating the factors influencing the habitability of our Sun, it offers a comparative framework for assessing the habitability of other star systems. Finally, SHIELD's research will shed light on the space environment that Earth experienced in its distant past, potentially revealing connections between extraterrestrial phenomena and the evolution of Earth's climate and the development of life itself.

Contributing Institutions

• Boston University, Boston, MA
• MIT, Cambridge, MA
• University of Alabama at Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
• Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
• John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Laurel, MD
• University of Maryland, College Park, MD
• University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI
• University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ
• Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
• University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
• University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
• Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
• University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland