NASA launching three rockets in Alaska for aurora study

NASA is preparing to launch three rockets from the Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska. This experiment is designed to study how auroral substorms impact the Earth's upper atmosphere. The launches are expected to take place between March 24 and April 6. The experiment is named AWESOME, which stands for Auroral Waves Excited by Substorm Onset Magnetic Events. It will involve one large four-stage rocket and two smaller two-stage rockets. Colorful vapor trails from the rockets will likely be visible across much of northern Alaska. Mark Conde, a professor of space physics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is leading the mission. He and a group of graduate students will gather data from various locations in Alaska while NASA manages the rockets' assembly and launch. The experiment aims to determine how heat generated by auroras affects air movement in the atmosphere. Currently, scientists believe auroral substorms cause upward air movement due to heating. However, Conde thinks that different types of waves may play a larger role in mixing the atmosphere. This could mean that changes caused by auroras extend over a wider area than previously thought. The mission intends to improve space weather forecasting, which is increasingly important as society relies on satellite technology like GPS. Two of the rockets will launch shortly after an auroral substorm begins. They will release vapor tracers at specific altitudes to measure wind and wave patterns. The third rocket will release tracers at multiple heights, creating visible clouds of pink, blue, and white vapor. These will be seen for 10 to 20 minutes. The launches will occur at dawn, when sunlight can activate the vapor while it is still dark at ground level for cameras to capture the air’s movement.