Wed, Feb 14, 2007
Satellites Will Study Aurora Phenomena
Blame it on the weather. The launch date for the five small,
identical satellites that comprise NASA's Time History of Events
and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) project has
been bumped 24 hours, due to concerns at Kennedy Space Center about
an advancing cold front and the severe storms accompanying it. The
satellites are now slated to take flight aboard a Delta II booster
Friday night.
Once the satellites are in orbit, THEMIS -- named for the Greek
goddess of justice, wisdom and good counsel, and the guardian of
oaths -- will spend two years analyzing what causes auroras in the
Earth's atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering
waves of light, to wildly shifting streaks of color.
NASA says discovering what causes auroras to change will provide
scientists with important details on how the planet's magnetosphere
works, and shed light on the relationship between the Earth and the
Sun.
Understanding and predicting space weather is important to
describe the environment in which spacecraft and astronauts operate
and ensure their safety, the space agency says. Just as hail and
tornadoes accompany the most severe thunderstorms, substorms
accompany the most intense space storms – those that disrupt
communications, cause power line transmission failures, and produce
the most penetrating radiation.
THEMIS will study substorms to gain insight into the most severe
space storms.
Loading of hypergolic propellants aboard the second stage of the
vehicle will commence Wednesday. Friday's launch window extends
from 6:05 to 6:23 pm EST.
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