Cosmic ray levels are rising again- NASA set to find out why

Solar wind
speed: 319.9 km/sec
density: 0.7 protons/cm³

They are energetically-charged subatomic particles and their origins are about as mysterious as their long-term effects on life and processes on both on Earth and the Sun. Our solar system is being bombarded by these particles from some unknown origin. Evidence they are streaming from somewhere outside our solar system is indicative of the fact that cosmic radiation levels spike every time the solar winds and more importantly, the heliosphere, the protective bubble which surrounds our solar system deflates. We likely have the remnants of super-nova or dark-matter on our doorsteps and its effects on Earth could become more pronounced with time. A device due to launch aboard the space shuttle Endeavour from Florida on Friday is designed to give scientists their first detailed study of the electrically charged particles streaming through the cosmos.