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Mars Base

Radio Glitch Delays 5-Rocket Launch to Edge of Space | Skywatching Tips | Space.com - 0 views

www.space.com/rocket-launch-atrex-delay.html

scibyte38 launch

shared by Mars Base on 15 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • A radio system glitch on one of five small rockets aimed at the edge of space has forced NASA to cancel a barrage of overnight launches tonight that promised to dazzle East Coast skywatchers with glowing midnight clouds
  • e late-night launch rocket launches, which were scheduled to blast off within about five minutes of one anothe
  • scrubbed for tonight and our next attempt will be no earlier than Friday night, March 16
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • internal radio frequency interference problem with one of the payloads on the rockets caused the launch delay
  • five rockets form the core of NASA's Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX
  • program to study the high-altitude jet stream of wind that blows at speeds of 300 mph (483 kph) at heights of between  60 and 65 miles (97 to 105 kilometers) above Earth.
  • Theories have suggested that these high-altitude winds should only reach speeds of up to 50 mph (80 kph). The edge of space is commonly set at 62 miles (100 km) above Earth.
  • study the jet stream mystery, NASA scientists have loaded each ATREX rocket with a chemical tracer known as trimethyl aluminum. The experiment is designed to spray the material into the jet stream so observers on Earth can map the winds
  • chemical tracer is expected to be seen as glowing, milky white clouds visible to skywatchers along major stretches of the U.S. East Coast, running from southern Vermont and New Hampshire to the border of North and South Carolina.
  • next window to launch the ATREX rockets stretches from March 16 to April 3.
Mars Base

Psychedelics in the Sky: NASA Launches 5 Rockets in 5 Minutes - 0 views

www.universetoday.com/...aunches-5-rockets-in-5-minutes

nasa rockets ATREX AprMedia

shared by Mars Base on 28 Mar 12 - No Cached
  • After several days of delays due to weather and technical issues, NASA has now successfully launched five suborbital sounding rockets in five minutes from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream.
  • first rocket was launched at 4:58 a.m. EDT and each subsequent rocket was launched 80 seconds apart.
  • rockets released a chemical tracer that created psychedelic-looking clouds at the edge of space, which were reported to be seen from as far south as Wilmington, N.C.; west to Charlestown, W. Va.; and north to Buffalo, N.Y.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • The Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) is a Heliophysics sounding rocket mission that gathered information to better understand the process responsible for the high-altitude jet stream located 95-105 km (60 to 65 miles) above the surface of the Earth.
  • map of the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. shows the projected area where the rockets may be visible while the motors are burning through flight
  • high-altitude jet stream is higher than the one commonly reported in weather forecasts
  • winds found in this upper jet stream typically have speeds of 320 to well over 480 km/hr (200 to over 300 mph)
  • two of the rockets had instrumented payloads to measure the pressure and temperature in the atmosphere at the height of the high-speed winds
  • NASA will release more information on the outcome of the experiment after scientists have had time to review the data
  • This jet stream is located in the same region where strong electrical currents occur in the ionosphere.
  • a region with a lot of electrical turbulence, of the type that can adversely affect satellite and radio communications.
  • Not only did the rockets release the chemical tracers to allow scientists and the public to “see” the winds in space
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