[Bazmundo]

For anyone interested in the high speed winds of the ionosphere, NASA is about to launch 5 sounding rockets from the East coast trailing chemical compounds as tracers (not chemtrails!). The countdown has been confirmed and preparations, such as moving the five rockets from their housings, has begun. The launch window opens at midnight EDT (0400z) for about three hours, though the launch site and auxiliary camera sites need to be clear and cloud is causing problems there.

Live webcast and status updates/tweets (experts answering Q's periodically): http://www.risingtid..._Wallops/ATREX/
Article: http://www.nasa.gov/...ions/atrex.html
Latest press release: http://www.nasa.gov/...news/12-10.html

The five rockets, two of which carry instrument payloads, will be launched 80s apart from Wallops Flight Facility and filmed from there and New Jersey and North Carolina to trace the 'milky white' clouds left by chemical tracers as they move out into the Atlantic. The rockets will reach 60-65 miles into the atmosphere, where 300mph winds and electrical disturbances need further study. The electrical currents are suspected to cause some interference with satellite communications, but there are possibilities that they are somewhat linked to the wind speeds observed in that zone.

Launch confidence is currently poor due to the cloud cover.


Image credit: NASA/Wallops 2012

[Bazmundo]

Good video of the planned mission: http://www.nasa.gov/...nightlight.html

[Bazmundo]

The rockets launched successully this morning just before 10am BST, with good results judging by this submission to spaceweather.com