Keep your eyes to the skies this evening and you might glimpse the launch of three NASA rockets. NASA’s launch window opens at 10:30 p.m. on August 26 for the launch attempt of the TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission. The launch was delayed from August 25 due to cloud cover.
The Mission
The TOMEX+ rocket mission — short for Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment Plus — will explore the mesopause, “one of Earth’s most turbulent atmospheric zones.”
Specifically, the mission will investigate a layer of atomic sodium that peaks at about 56 miles above Earth. This layer forms from “the constant influx of dust grain–sized meteors that burn up in the sky,” according to NASA. A specialized laser on the TOMEX+ rocket will cause the sodium layer to fluoresce. This will allow scientists to track its movement as energy moves through the upper atmosphere.
This mission will use three rockets. The first two will release colorful clouds called vapor tracers that scientists can photograph from the ground to map upper-atmospheric wind patterns. The next rocket will launch five minutes later. It will carry the lidar instrument to send out short pulses of light. This will allow scientists to measure atmospheric density and motion over time.
Together, these rockets will give scientists “the clearest 3D view yet of turbulence at the edge of space, improving our understanding of high-altitude cloud formation, satellite drag, and even atmospheric processes on other planets,” NASA says.
See the Launch
The launch was initially targeted for last week. It was delayed due to cloud cover and high sea states in the recovery area. The window for the mission is open until September 3.
The rockets will launch from Wallops Island. NASA projects that they will be visible for a wide radius in the Mid-Atlantic region, weather permitting. The Wallops Visitor Center will not be open for onsite launch viewing.
For those in the direct launch area, it will be visible within 10 seconds from the time it launches. In the second proximity range, which includes NoVA, DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, it will be visible within 10 to 30 seconds. And in the third zone, which includes western parts of the state and some of Pennsylvania, it will be visible within 30 to 40 seconds after takeoff.
There will be live updates on NASA’s social media pages, and a livestream will begin five minutes before each launch.
Feature image of three rockets for the TOMEX+ mission by Danielle Johnson, courtesy NASA
