Martin 53N 1W wrote:

I think this is a good topic, but it misses the elephant in the room.
In two ways.  Firstly, it's over *peanuts* of money at the federal
level. 

The question is cost vs new science. How important is it to map out the boundary of the heliopause? How important is it to measure the particles beyond?

Good news: Voyager probes are probably saved, as V1 entered officially the heliopause ! You can find out more at http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/ .
It seems  " (...) that the termination shock is far more complicated than anyone thought," said Dr. Eric Christian, Discipline Scientist for the Sun-Solar System Connection research program at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. (...)"

What /other/ science could be advanced for the same cost and effort?

All bad and difficult questions!

Indeed.

Take care not to get lost in sentimentality. If the heliopause is so interesting, we should send a fast fleet of fast mini-probes to map the boundary and environment.

Certainly. The fact is that now Voyager 1 entered the heliopause, and will gather interesting information. That can pave the way for future missions and allow them to be more efficient.