NASA Sounding Rocket will Release Early Morning Artificial Clouds

If it happens (unfortunately at OH: DARK: 30 ) I wonder if this cloud of metallic gas will be reflective or otherwise facilitate propagation at HF / VHF / UHF?

73, John, WØPV

UPDATE 5:25 a.m., June 3, 2017: The launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility of a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket scheduled for June 3 has been rescheduled for Sunday, June 4. The launch window is 4:26 – 4:41 a.m. EDT. While the winds and skies were the issues the previous two launch attempts, this morning’s attempt was scrubbed because of boats in the second stage impact area.

Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 3:45 a.m. on the Wallops Ustream site. Launch updates also are available via the Wallops Facebook and Twitter sites.

The early morning skies along the mid-Atlantic coast will light up with luminescent clouds as NASA tests a new system that supports science studies of the ionosphere and aurora with a sounding rocket launch May 31 from the Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore of Virginia. Backup launch days are June 1 through 6.

During the flight of a two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket between 4:25 and 4:42 a.m. EDT, ten canisters about the size of a soft drink can will be deployed in the air, 6 to 12 miles away from the 670-pound main payload.

The canisters will deploy between 4 and 5.5 minutes after launch blue-green and red vapor forming artificial clouds.

The vapor tracers are formed through the interaction of barium, strontium and cupric-oxide. The tracers will be released at altitudes 96 to 124 miles high and pose absolutely no hazard to residents along the mid-Atlantic coast.

The vapor tracers could be visible from New York to North Carolina and westward to Charlottesville, Virginia.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/wallop...uds0lighting-up-the-mid-atlantic-coast-may-31

 

Hey NASA, It sure would be help full if my tax dollars were spent on ionizing the layers within several hundred miles around Oregon, we really need some decent 6 meter dx.

 

From the DX Cluster spots you've been putting up lately it seems 6m has been pretty lively out there. Nice going! Where were you two weeks ago when my little peanut whistle from FL worked W7EW? Of course he's got a little bit'o hardware up in the air, lol.

73 de John WØPV

 

Just an FYI and not a criticism. Just FYI to everyone and I might be the only one that has this problem but do you know how hard it is to read blue on black text. Maybe it is just my old eyes but I finally gave up even with my reading glasses on.
Again just my FYI opinion.
John, WB0MPB

 

John, I will be mindful of colored text highlights in the future. Meanwhile, try clicking on the NASA link, the bottom line, to read the original article from which the text was copy / pasted.

Also, those who do read the post, be aware I had intended this to be an alert to stations in the affected region with sufficient time to consider taking action on-the-air. However, I did not anticipate the amount of Zed moderation delay particularly on a weekend. As the predicted launch time neared and then passed without it being posted I asked via the Help desk to move the post to another forum or delete it, but to no avail.

73, John, WØPV

 

NASA Wallops‏Verified account @NASA_Wallops Jun 4

The next launch attempt for the Terrier-Improved Malemute is no earlier than June 11 pending range availability.

12 replies 42 retweets 47 likes

 

It's interesting that the article doesn't have an explanation of the reason for the test. It simply says, "NASA tests a new system that supports science studies of the ionosphere and aurora with a sounding rocket," and "The canisters will deploy between 4 and 5.5 minutes after launch forming blue-green and red artificial clouds. These clouds, or vapor tracers, allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space."

Given that so few people care about HF anymore, I wonder why the ongoing ionospheric studies? Especially at mid-Atlantic latitudes?

I'm also surprised that people continue to insist that injection of barium into the atmosphere is harmless. The article claims, "The vapor tracers are formed through the interaction of barium, strontium and cupric-oxide. The tracers will be released at altitudes 96 to 124 miles high and pose no hazard to residents along the mid-Atlantic coast." Yet, "Because of the high reactivity of the metal, toxicological data are available only for compounds. Water-soluble barium compounds are poisonous" [wikipedia.org]. So a highly-reactive metal, one which readily forms poisonous compounds, is being released in the atmosphere, yet there is no potential health impact?

Lots of open questions.

 

Your comment got me to look into it further. I didn't realize that such experiments have been conducted for quite some time and have created quite an activist stir refered to as "chem-trail" conspiracy theories.

Apparently the USAF does have ongoing research on artificially "pumping up" the ionosphere for use as a radio reflective propagator as a contingency plan to maintain its long distance comms (should relay satellites be disabled ).

That was the mission of HAARP at one time too, but they decided that using cube-sat carried ion-generators and/or "plasma bombs" may be more efficient. See this link,

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...to-plasma-bomb-the-sky-using-tiny-satellites/

With the dire state of naturally stimulated ionospheric propagation lately, maybe this testing could create an unintended boost for amateur radio.

Pop off some of those "plasma bombs" during the CQ World Wide!

 

Alex Jones said there where chemtrails

 

Yes, searching the 'net will provide you with all kinds of rabbit holes to chase on that subject. That said, even if you just stick to the rocket-assisted injection of barium, et al, into the atmosphere, that work has been going on for decades. This is just one of the more recent ones. I personally know someone who was involved with some of the earlier work on that subject, albeit outside the US.

 

No. No there aren't. At least not from people who aren't conspiracy theorists or paranoiacs.

BTW, NASA Wallops has been doing similar experiments for decades. I recall watching one launch from here in Southern Md, in the early 1970's as a boy. It produced some interesting clouds.

There are declassified films of nuclear tests from the late 50s and early 60's that describe similar experiments in attempt to create artificial auroras. I believe the Starfish Prime shot included such a test.

 

Asking a legitimate question does not make one paranoid, your fondness for name-calling notwithstanding.

That does not make them safe, or the barium less toxic.

 

Maybe the quantity of the material dispersed at such high altitudes would mix enough and spread far enough to not even be a blip above the noise? I dunno...

 

lets think of the word Atmosphere , at the altitude of 50 decades of sounding rockets? Just asking...like how many parts permillion? Did Shepperd go higher than that? Anything over that red line...well Better ask Al Gore , Hi Hi

 

so did this happen?