Rocket Launch at Poker Flat; Photo credit: NASA/Chris Perry

NASA and the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute teamed up with some scientists from Virginia Tech University to launch a sounding rocket over the weekend at the Poker Flat Research Range.

The Polar Night Nitric Oxide (PolarNOx) experiment saw a hang fire on the first night of their launch window, but the rocket was launched successfully on the second night.

The aurora borealis adds nitric oxide to the polar atmosphere, and levels increase in the winter months, but then dissipate in the summer months, with the increase of sunlight.  Nitric oxide will destroy ozone under certain conditions.  The sounding rocket was launched to collect data to better understand the build up of nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide exists between 53 – 93 miles altitude, with its peak concentration between 62 – 68 miles altitude.  The sounding rocket rose to an apex of 161 miles above the earth’s surface, before coming back down to our very frozen Interior.

The landing pad; Photo credit: Poker Flat Research Range

For those who were up in the early morning hours to witness the launch, the rocket was seen from all over the area.  I had planned on being out there, but I was forced to make a quick run to the border instead.  At least I saw a lot of caribou.