2.06.2017

UPDATE 4:41 a.m., June 1, 2017: The launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility of a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket testing a new deployment system to support space science studies scheduled for June 1 has been rescheduled for June 2.  The launch window is 4:26 – 4:41 a.m. EDT. The launch has been rescheduled because upper level winds exceeded launch limits.   Blue-green and red artificial clouds that will be produced as part the test may be seen from New York to North Carolina.

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will open at 3:30 a.m. on launch day for viewing the flight.

Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 3:45 a.m. on the Wallops Ustream site. Launch updates also are available via the Wallops Facebook and Twitter sites.

Update  12:45 p.m., May 30 – The launch of a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket testing a new deployment system to support space studies originally scheduled for May 31 has been delayed until June 1.  The launch window remains 4:27 – 4:42 a.m. EDT. The launch has been delayed because of weather.  Clear skies are required for the launch.  Blue-green and red artificial clouds that will be produced as part the test may be seen from New York to North Carolina.

The early morning skies along the mid-Atlantic coast will light up with luminescent clouds as NASA tests a new system that supports science studies of the ionosphere and aurora with a sounding rocket launch May 31 from the Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore of Virginia. Backup launch days are June 1 through 6.

The ampule doors on the sounding rocket payload are open during testing at the Wallops Flight Facility.

Credits: NASA/Berit Bland

 

This map shows the projected visibility of the vapor tracers during the May 31 mission. The vapor tracers may be visible from New York to North Carolina and westward to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Credits: NASA

 

During the flight of a two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket between 4:25 and 4:42 a.m. EDT, ten canisters about the size of a soft drink can will be deployed in the air, 6 to 12 miles away from the 670-pound main payload.

The canisters will deploy between 4 and 5.5 minutes after launch blue-green and red vapor forming artificial clouds. These clouds or vapor tracers allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space.

The development of the multi-canister or ampule ejection system will allow scientists to gather information over a much larger area than previously allowed when deploying the vapor just from the main payload.

Ground cameras will be stationed at Wallops and in Duck, North Carolina, to view the vapor tracers. Clear skies are preferred, but not required, at both sites for the launch to occur.

The vapor tracers are formed through the interaction of barium, strontium and cupric-oxide. The tracers will be released at altitudes 96 to 124 miles high and pose absolutely no hazard to residents along the mid-Atlantic coast.

The vapor tracers could be visible from New York to North Carolina and westward to Charlottesville, Virginia.

The total flight time for the mission is expected to be about 8 minutes.  The payload will land in the Atlantic Ocean about 90 miles from Wallops Island and will not be recovered.

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will open at 3:30 a.m. on launch day for viewing the flight. 

Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 3:45 a.m. on the Wallops Ustreamsite. Launch updates also are available via the Wallops Facebook and Twitter sites.
 

Smartphone users can download the “What’s Up at Wallops” app, which contains information on the launch as well as a compass showing the precise direction for launch viewing.

Quelle: NASA

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To the relief of chemtrail conspiracy theorists, NASA’s plan to create red and blue-green colored artificial clouds was postponed on Sunday morning. The clouds were expected to be visible for much of the East Coast and surely would have left many scratching their heads.

It’s not the first time this experiment has been delayed, but it marks the end of the launch window which ran from May 31st through June 6th. Weather forecasts show that the conditions won’t be right in the next two days and the tentative date for launch is now June 11th.

The experiment requires specific weather conditions. On the day of launch, a two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket will carry ten canisters that will be deployed about five minutes after liftoff. The canisters will then create vividly colored artificial clouds aka vapor tracers. NASA scientists will then visually track the subsequent particle motions to gain further understanding of the ionosphere. The space agency has ground cameras at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and in Duck, North Carolina. The sky must be clear at one of those locations for researchers to be able to gather data properly. Unfortunately, clouds interfered with the tests this morning, causing the postponement of the launch.

 

 

NASA is clear that this mission poses no danger to humans. The canisters would be released about 100 miles above the ground and they contain barium, strontium, and cupric-oxide. But just because the chemicals don’t pose a danger doesn’t mean the plummeting payload doesn’t. The scheduled launch on Saturday was canceled because of boats that were in the area where the payload was estimated to fall.

For anyone who wasn’t aware of this experiment, the postponement is just an opportunity. Assuming that all goes to plan, you’ll be able to watch the launch around 4 AM on June 11th. People on the East Coast “from New York to North Carolina,” will have a chance to see the colorful clouds in person according to NASA. For everyone else, a livestream will be available.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 19.06.2017

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Too windy: NASA cancels 8th try at launch for sounding rocket

The launch is rescheduled for no earlier than Monday, June 19, with a launch time window between 9:06 p.m. and 9:21 p.m., NASA said. 

Officials will meet after a weather briefing Monday afternoon to make a decision on trying to launch Monday night.

Provided it can get off the ground, the flight of the Terrier Improved Malemute rocket is designed to test a new system of deploying canisters that release blue-green and red vapor to form artificial clouds, which are used in studying the ionosphere and aurora, scientists say.

People may be able to see the clouds along the mid-Atlantic from New York to North Carolina, NASA said. 

Previously, the clouds could only be released in the immediate area of the payload. This time, a new ejection system will fire 10 canisters, each about the size of a soda can, between 6 and 12 miles away from the main payload.

The canisters are set to be deployed between four and five and a half minutes after launch. The clouds help scientists on the ground visually track particle motions in space. Scientists will use ground cameras based at Wallops and Duck, North Carolina, to monitor the results.

Using the new deployment method should allow scientists to study the particles over a much wider area, NASA said.

The vapor "tracers" consist of chemicals such as barium, strontium and cupric-oxide. They are to be released at altitudes 96-124 miles high and pose "absolutely no hazard" to residents along the mid-Atlantic coast, officials say.

Quelle: delmarvanow

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Update: 24.06.2017

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NASA launches rocket from Wallop’s Island

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. (WAVY) — NASA on Thursday launched a Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket from the Wallops Island Flight Facility.

The rocket was carrying various experiments from a handful of programs, including RockOn! and RockSat-C.

NASA says the rocket’s payload was expected to land in the Atlantic Ocean, after flying to 73 miles altitude.

Thursday’s launch comes in the midst of several attempts by NASA to launch a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket.

That launch has been delayed nine times, and is now scheduled for Saturday, June 24, with a window of 9:07 p.m. to 9:22 p.m.

Quelle: WAVY

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Quelle: NASA