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Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1727)           June 19, 2003

Keith Koehler
Wallops Flight Facility, Va.
(Phone: 757/824-1579)

RELEASE:  03-201

NIGHTTIME CLOUDS SHED LIGHT ON SPACE WEATHER

     NASA is looking for the opportunity, beginning June 23, 
to launch rocket experiments that will form nighttime clouds 
in a project intended to shed light on space weather.

Three of the four rocket experiments, launched from the NASA 
Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., will include 
the formation of milky, white clouds. The clouds will allow 
scientists to view winds in a high and poorly accessible 
layer of Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere. The 
ionosphere is strongly affected by solar activity, such as 
solar flares and UV radiation from sunspots. The state of 
the ionosphere affects such things as radio communications 
and Global Positioning System reception on Earth. 

The clouds from each experiment may be visible, for up to 20 
minutes, by residents in the mid-Atlantic region, the lower 
northeastern United States and South Carolina. The chemicals 
used to make the clouds pose no danger to the public.

The clouds will allow scientists to monitor the Earth's 
winds at the edge of space, said Dr. Gregory Earle from the 
University of Texas in Dallas, the lead researcher for the 
project.
"Winds in the ionosphere impact space weather just as the 
winds on Earth impact our weather. Space weather in turn can 
affect satellites orbiting the Earth and communication and 
electrical systems on the ground," Earle said. "The clouds 
will act as a tracer and allow us to view the winds at 
various altitudes over a period of time." 

"The data gathered from this project will aid in our 
understanding of the relationship between the winds and 
ionospheric activity. This research may one day lead to the 
ability to forecast space weather, just as forecasters do 
today for Earth weather. If we can forecast space weather, 
then we can better protect our systems in space and on 
Earth," Earle said.

The time and day of launch depends on two major factors: 
clear skies are required at two of three special camera 
sites located along the Virginia and North Carolina coast; 
and a layer of ionized particles must form in the upper 
layers of the ionosphere and begin to descend.

All four launches will occur in one night between 9:30 p.m. 
and 5 a.m., EDT, June 23 through July 10. There will be 
about 90 minutes between the launch of the first, second and 
third rockets. The third and fourth rockets will be launched 
about 10 minutes apart. The actual period between launches 
will be decided in real-time as the mission occurs.

The milky white clouds form from the release of 
trimethylaluminum (TMA) on the first, second and fourth 
rockets. The third rocket carries only scientific 
instruments. The TMA will be released in space over the 
Atlantic Ocean at altitudes from 56 miles (90 kilometers) to 
109 miles (175 kilometers). The clouds will take about four 
to five minutes to form after the TMA release. NASA has used 
TMA for decades as part of rocket studies from sites 
worldwide to study the near-space environment. TMA burns 
slowly and produces visible light that can be tracked 
visually and with special camera equipment. 

The products of the reaction, when TMA is exposed to air or 
water, are aluminum oxide, carbon dioxide and water. 
Aluminum oxides are commonly used to combat heartburn and to 
purify drinking water. TMA poses no threat to the public 
during preparation on the ground or during the release in 
space.

The project is a NASA and multi-university effort. In 
addition to the University of Texas, students and personnel 
from Clemson University and Utah State University are 
participating in the mission.

The public can keep track of the progress of the mission by 
calling the NASA Wallops Flight Facility launch status line 
at: 757/824-2050.

NASA will have a Web site with text updates and live video 
of the launches during the mission at:

http://www.wff.nasa.gov/webcast

For information about NASA, space science, rocketry and 
space flight on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


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