NASA Rocket Could Give A Show In The Sky
By Meteorologist Lauren Casey
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A NASA rocket launch early Wednesday night will likely create a interesting show in the sky along the Eastern seaboard, as Eyewitness News Meteorologist Lauren Casey shows us.
The rocket will launch from Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia and could be visible from Long Island to North Carolina within seconds of its launch. It's called a sounding rocket.
We talked to Derrick Pitts all about it. He is chief astronomer and planetarium director for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
A sounding rocket is "the type of rocket that's typically used to test atmospheric currents and turbulence and things like that," Pitts said.
About six minutes after launch, the rocket will release a chemical mixture into the atmosphere. This will create colorful clouds that could be visible to us on earth.
"The barium is used to check to see what the currents are like at the upper atmospheric level, and the strontium is a reddish color that actually marks the barium even better so that it can be seen better," Pitts said.
If the rocket goes up as scheduled, sometime between 7:07 AND 7:31 EDT, look toward the southern sky. You'll want to look about 30 degrees above the horizon, which is equivalent to stacking three fists on top of each other. If all goes right, you will see red and blue-green clouds. The clouds could stay visible from about 20 minutes up to an hour.
This technology will help all scientists better understand wind patterns in the upper atmosphere at the same level where the Aurora Borealis forms.
Rocket launch times are always subject to change due to mechanical problems or weather, but you can keep track of this launch at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tv-wallops