Two NASA sub-orbital research rockets are ready to launch on their mission to study the formation of vortices in the upper parts of the atmosphere.
A combined team from Andøya Space and NASA Wallops Flight Facility have in the last few weeks worked to prepare two sub-orbital research rockets for their upcoming launch campaign
– They were originally scheduled to launch in 2023, together with two other rockets who did launch, says Thomas Gansmoe, Director Sounding Rockets & Engineering Services at Andøya Space Sub-Orbital. – But for various reasons the launches had to be postponed.
Vorticity Experiment (VortEx)
– The main scientific objective for these two remaining launch vehicles is to study how winds and energy from the lower parts of the atmosphere affect the upper parts, says Gansmoe.
The focus of the experiment is to figure out how gravity waves interact with each other, and how these interactions form vortices.
– These vortices can be thought of as small whirlpools of spinning air, Gansmoe says. – It is basic research, and the knowledge gained here can be applied to various fields from oceanography to astrophysics.
– One of the launch vehicles contain canisters of trimethyl aluminum (TMA) which will be released in the upper part of the atmosphere, Gansmoe says. – This will create several glowing clouds which will visualize turbulence and vortices. Four ground stations will observe how these clouds behaves in the minutes after launch.
– The clouds pose no hazards to residents in the region, says Gansmoe. – These kinds of experiments have been done before from Andøya Space with great success. The clouds will be visible over a large area.
The principal investigator for this mission is Dr. Gerald Lehmacher from Clemson University, and the launch customer is the Sounding Rockets Program Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
– The launch vehicles have been designed and built by NASA Wallops Flight Facility, says Gansmoe. – And the launch campaign will be conducted from Andøya Space Sub-Orbital’s launch facility at Andøya.
Supported by groundbased instrumentation
Several groundbased instrumentation will support the launch campaign by performing remote sensing to determine the best time for launch, and at the same time gathering additional data for the scientists who are to analyze the results from this project.
– The Alomar Observatory will perform lidar measurements, and the project will also use radars and an airglow imager, Gansmoe finishes.