Tenth attempt: NASA nighttime rocket launch to create artificial clouds in space set for Saturday

Photo Credit: NASA

New Delhi: NASA is launching a rocket that will create artificial, colourful clouds in space on Saturday night after scrapping plans several times due to bad weather and poor poor visibility.

This is the tenth attempt of Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket launch which has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 24, with a launch window between 9:07 and 9:22 pm EDT.

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will open at 8 pm on launch day for viewing the flight.

Live coverage of the mission begins at 8:30 p.m. on the Wallops Ustream site and a Facebook live begins at 8:50 p.m.

As per NASA, the multi-canister ampoule ejection system being tested on this mission will allow scientists to gather information over a much larger area than previously able during a sounding rocket mission to study the ionosphere or aurora.

Canisters will deploy during the rocket’s ascent and they will release blue-green and red vapor to form artificial clouds between 4 and 5.5 minutes after launch, NASA added.

These clouds, or vapor tracers, that will allow scientists on the ground or by aircraft to visually track particle motions in space, may be visible along the mid-Atlantic coastline from New York to North Carolina.