NASA has scheduled an atmospherical light show for the wee hours of Wednesday morning , when the Agency intends to launch five sub - orbital rockets ( sodding with luminescent chemical substance tracer ) in an experiment designed to essay the flow of jet streams on the bound of space . secure of all ? A good portion of the East Coast is ask round to follow . Find out when and where to look .
If you ’re already familiar with ATREX , you ’ll find info on when and where to look below . If not , here ’s some background .
Between 62 and 68 miles above Earth ’s surface , where our satellite ’s air runs up against the bounds of space , there are air currents whipping around at upwards of three hundred miles per hour . scientist have known about these high - altitude K streams for years , but they ’ve been notoriously difficult to analyse . Now , NASA ’s Goddard Space Flight Center will essay to shed some light on these peculiar phenomenon with the Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment , or “ ATREX ” for short . And as luck would have it for those of us on the East Coast , ATREX ( as its name suggests ) involves skyrocket — vivid , gleaming , night - sky - illuminating rockets .
The ATREX military mission plays out like this : five roquette are fired off over the course of just over five minutes from NASA ’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island , VA . Once they ’re airborne , the rocket will release a specially design chemical tracer bullet that reacts with oxygen to take form burnished , whitish - ashen clouds that scientists will practice to track the front jet watercourse at the edge of space from ground camera positioned in Virginia , North Carolina and New Jersey . ( The rockets being used for the mission are two Terrier - Improved Orions , one Terrier - Oriole and two Terrier - Improved Malemutes , depicted on the unexpended , center , and right of the top persona , severally . )
And here ’s the fun part : according to NASA , the rocket ’ luminescent tracer clouds should remain visible for up to 20 bit from area of the East Coast circled in the name designate below . NASA needs very clear sky to get out this experiment off , not just over the Atlantic , but in New Jersey , Virginia , and North Carolina as well ( it ’s already been delay multiple time now on account of sub - optimal viewing conditions ) , so there ’s a good chance visibleness will be about as proficient as any of us can expect it to be in this scenario .
harmonise to the Wallops Launch Center’sTwitterandFacebookpages ( where you”ll ascertain updates on the ATREX mission ):
The countdown begins Tuesday , March 20 at 7 p.m. EDT with the launch window opening at midnight on March 21 and running until 5 a.m. on March 21 .
In other words , the launch is scheduled to pass off at any time in the window between midnight and 5 am on the morning of March 21st .
SPACE.com is reportingthat the key to get a glimpse of the chemical substance lead with your own eyes is to populate within the viewing radius ( draw in the image shown here ) , and to have a clear view of the horizon in the direction of Wallops Island , VA , where NASA will be launching the rockets :
For example , a viewer in Raleigh , N.C. should await toward the northeast ; in Providence , R.I. , observers should face southwest ; in Philadelphia , Pa. , the view will be toward the southeastern United States .
The Wallops Flight Facility Visitor ’s Center will also be open to local viewers on launching Nox starting at 10 Prime Minister EDT . The Visitor ’s Center is located on VA 175 near Chincoteague Island , Va. Phone : ( 757 ) 824 - 2298 or 824 - 1344 .
Those outside the viewing radius or with an obstructed view of the horizon can also tune in over at NASA fora experience webcast of the launching . The webcast will begin 2 hours before the possibility of the launch window ( between midnight and 5 am , EST , the break of day of the 21st . )
retrieve : There ’s a chance that tonight ’s launching will be cancel , just like it ’s been cancelled several time before , so be sure to check in onFacebookandTwitterto ensure the launch is still on . Be that as it may , NASA is driven to launch these projectile SOME time before April 3rd , and always during the midnight—5am launching window .
Top image by NASA / Wallops
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