
The IMP series were managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center with the primary objectives of investigation of interplanetary plasma and the interplanetary magnetic field. The orbiting of IMP satellites in a variety of interplanetary and earth orbits allowed study of spatial and temporal relationships of geophysical and interplanetary phenomena simultaneously by several other National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellites. The IMP network provided a crucial 'early warning network' of solar flare activity for Apollo manned missions that ventured beyond the Van Allen Radiation Belts.
Typical orbit: 56731 x 230661 km, 40.9 deg inclinaton.
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