NASA Rocket Takes First Multi-Point Look Inside Radio-Disrupting Clouds
High above Earth, thin veils of metallic haze drift through the edge of space. Known as sporadic E layers, these high-altitude “clouds” form from the vaporized dust of burnt-up meteors, earning their name from the unpredictable way they emerge and then dissipate. Now, new results from a NASA sounding rocket — a suborbital research rocket […] The post NASA Rocket Takes First Multi-Point Look…
A NASA sounding rocket has provided the first simultaneous, multi-point view inside a type of high-altitude "cloud" that disrupts radio signals used for long-distance communication. Known as sporadic E layers, these clouds form from vaporized dust of meteors in the ionosphere and can cause radio signals to bounce unpredictably, affecting air traffic control, marine radio users, and even GPS accuracy.
For years, scientists have struggled to fully understand these radio-disrupting clouds, but until recently, only a narrow slice of the layer could be sampled at a time. The SpEED Demon rocket, launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on August 24, 2022, changed that by releasing four dropsondes inside a sporadic E layer.
These probes measured the plasma along their separate tracks and transmitted their data back to ground stations, revealing a more complex and structured layer than previously thought. Rather than a smooth, dense pancake of metallic particles, the layer appears uneven and shaped by turbulent winds and atmospheric turbulences. The mission's success has opened up new possibilities for studying sporadic E layers and their impact on radio communication and other technologies.
Written by urgent.news from NASA Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
