NASA creates artificial aurora in the next experiment in space
During the experiment KiNet-X The Black Brant Xll geophysical rocket was used, which delivered seven payload modules into space at once.
At the same time, two of the modules contained barium vapors, which were sprayed at an altitude of about 400 km. In the rest of the modules, special devices were placed, the main purpose of which was to study the interaction of the magnetic field of our planet with charged particles.
In the course of this experiment, NASA engineers managed to form a man-made aurora, which could be observed even over Bermuda and on the East Coast of North America.
What is the purpose of the experiment
So, the main task of the entire experiment was to study the transfer of momentum, as well as energy in near-earth space and precisely in the region where the strong influence of the magnetic field of our Planets.
Rocket launch Black brant xll took place May 16, 2021 from the small Wallops spaceport, located in Virginia.
For reference. Geophysical rocket Black brant xll is a suborbital rocket consisting of four solid-propellant stages. The rocket height is 19.5 meters, the maximum payload is 410 kg. At the maximum possible flight altitude of 1500 km, the rocket is capable of throwing a payload of 110 kilograms.
After 9.5 minutes, the barium sputtering process was already started, which lasted about 30 seconds.
This action provoked a disturbance in the magnetic field in the sputtering zone, and for this reason the free electrons had to change their behavior.
Engineers closely watched the process, using a specialized camera on Bermuda, as well as 5 instruments at once, which were also sent to near-earth space on a rocket Black Brant Xll.
So far there is no official data on how successful the experiment was and whether it was possible to collect scientific data.
The official announcement only says that the launch was successful and the northern lights were successfully created.
What are these experiments for?
Observations of ordinary terrestrial auroras have been going on for more than one hundred years, and scientists have been following the auroras of other planets for many decades.
But, despite such an impressive observation period, scientists still have unsolved questions. The thing is that the electrons contained in the solar wind and near-earth space are endowed with relatively low energy. But auroras are formed by high-energy particles (mostly electrons and protons).
It is to unravel the mechanism of accumulating and obtaining the necessary energy that they perform a series of experiments, an integral part of which is KiNet-X.
Well, we can only wait for the publication of the collected data and scientific calculations on this matter. Well, if you liked the material, then rate it and do not forget to subscribe to the channel.
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