Inside this geodesic dome is the 11-meter Universal Space Network (USN) Poker Flat Satellite Station antenna in Poker Flats, Alaska. This satellite supports communication with many NASA satellites, especially those in low earth orbit at high inclinations. The photo was sent back to Goddard by Doug Rowland who is the principal investigator for NASA's VISIONS sounding rocket mission (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm). VISIONS is studying what makes the aurora, and how it affects Earth’s atmosphere. On Feb. 3, 2013, the team took a mandatory day off before
Inside this geodesic dome is the 11-meter Universal Space Network (USN) Poker Flat Satellite Station antenna in Poker Flats, Alaska. This satellite supports communication with many NASA satellites, especially those in low earth orbit at high inclinations. The photo was sent back to Goddard by Doug Rowland who is the principal investigator for NASA's VISIONS sounding rocket mission (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm). VISIONS is studying what makes the aurora, and how it affects Earth’s atmosphere. On Feb. 3, 2013, the team took a mandatory day off before preparing for another launch attempt on the night of Feb. 4. Credit: NASA/Goddard Doug Rowland --- To read more about the VISIONS mission go to: pages/sunearth/ VISIONS: Seeing the Aurora in a New Light A team of NASA scientists arrived in Poker Flats, Alaska at the end of January, 2013. The team is patiently waiting for the exotic red and green glow of an aurora to illuminate the sky. Instead of simply admiring the view, this group from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center of Greenbelt, Md., and The Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo, Calif. will launch a sounding rocket up through the Northern Lights. The rocket could launch as early as the night of Feb. 2, 2013, but the team has a two-week window in order to find the perfect launch conditions. Armed with a series of instruments developed specifically for this mission, the VISIONS (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm) rocket will soar high through the arctic sky to study the auroral wind, which is a strong but intermittent stream of oxygen atoms from Earth’s atmosphere into outer space. The rocket will survive only fifteen minutes before splashing down in the Arctic Ocean, but the information it obtains will provide answers to some long-standing questions. VISIONS is studying how oxygen atoms leave Earth’s atmosphere under the i
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Keywords: astronomy, copy, editorial, nasa, news, night, photograph, photography, rocket, sky, space, stock
