NASA will launch five rockets in five minutes sometime in the next month, and some East Coast residents are in for a treat. The space agency says the rockets, to be launched from Virginia’s Wallops Flight Facility, should be visible from several states along the Eastern Seaboard.
NASA calls the mission “launch madness” — a likely homage to this month’s ever-popular March Madness college basketball tournament. It’s launching the fleet to learn more about the high-altitude jet stream located high above Earth’s surface.
That’s not to be confused with the jet stream frequently referenced by weathermen and women on local TV stations across the country. This jet stream is located some 65 miles above sea level and is home to winds that can reach more than 300 miles per hour.
Here’s why NASA cares: The jet stream is in the same region high above Earth where powerful electrical currents in the ionosphere (an area of the atmosphere) occur. The high winds and currents can combine to create electrical turbulence that interferes with satellite and radio communications. NASA wants to learn more about those winds.
To do so, its rockets will release a chemical tracer. The tracer will form a milky white clouds. The clouds, NASA says, will “allow scientists and the public to ‘see’ the winds in space.”
So basically, not only will you be able to see rockets soaring into the sky — you’ll be able to see the wind, too. Not bad.
The rockets will be launched sometime between March 14 and April 3, dependent on weather conditions.
For more on what NASA is up to and the science behind “launch madness,” check out the agency’s mission announcement.
Thumbnail image courtesy of NASA
Source: Mashable
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