KSC-08pd3038

Description

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. – At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, is covered with protective material for a move to the stand in the foreground. The overhead crane will be attached to make the move. Designed to detect the edge of the Solar System, the IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is targeted for launch from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, on Oct. 19. Photo credit: NASA/Mark Mackley, VAFB