NASA Mission Update- ULYSSES

The Ulysses spacecraft was a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in October 1990. It was designed to study the polar regions of the Sun and the heliosphere—the vast region of space influenced by the solar wind. Ulysses used gravitational assists from Jupiter to change its orbital inclination, allowing it to explore areas of the Sun's atmosphere that were difficult to observe from Earth. The mission provided crucial insights into the solar wind, solar magnetic fields, cosmic rays, and the heliosphere's structure. It operated for over 18 years, far exceeding its planned mission duration, and greatly expanded our understanding of the Sun and its effects on space weather.