How to Observe NASA’s Ionospheric Cloud Experiment
If you’re on the east coast and see strangely colored clouds in the sky, it’s probably the fault of science.
NASA , America’s second-largest space agency, is testing a new “ampoule ejection system” on its rockets with a set of vaporizing canisters to form artificially colored clouds used in ionospheric research. The launch will take place in Virginia from 9:04 am to 9:19 pm from NASA’s Wallops flight base.
The canisters will unfold 4-5.5 minutes after launch, forming blue-green and red artificial clouds. These clouds, or vapor indicators, allow scientists on earth to visually track the movement of particles in space. The development of an ampoule ejection system with multiple cans will allow scientists to collect information over a much larger area than previously permitted by deploying tracers from only the main payload.
Colored clouds are actually vapor indicators used by the agency to study the movement of particles in space. According to NASA, the clouds could be seen anywhere from New York to North Carolina.
After launching the containers, the rocket’s 670-pound payload (which will not be recovered) is to land in the Atlantic Ocean.
Not on the east coast? NASA is covering you. In addition to updates via Facebook and Twitter , the space agency is broadcasting the mission live at 8:30 pm, paired with a live Facebook feed at 8:50 pm. The flight time of the mission is about 8 minutes, so don’t be late.