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ATREX – NASA jet stream study – 5 suborbital rockets launched at the same time will light up the night sky of east coast US

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Since the high probability of unacceptable weather is preventing a launch attempt on March 19 again, NASA has rescheduled the launch of its five suborbital sounding rockets from the Wallops Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream to no earlier than Tuesday night, March 20.

The Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) will gather information needed to better understand the process responsible for the high-altitude jet stream located 60 to 65 miles (96 – 104 km / official boundary of space) above the surface of the Earth.

As part the mission, the five rockets will release a pyrophoric chemical tracer – trimethyl aluminum (TMA) – that will form milky, white clouds that allow scientists and the public to “see” the winds in space. These clouds may be visible for up to 20 minutes by residents from South Carolina to southern New Hampshire and Vermont.

YouTube video

About ATREX mission

The Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) is a Heliophysics sounding rocket mission that will gather information needed to better understand the process responsible for the high-altitude jet stream located 60 to 65 miles above the surface of the Earth.

At those altitudes winds rush through a little understood region of Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of 200 to 300 miles per hour (321 to 482 kilometres per hour). Lower than a typical satellite’s orbit, higher than where most planes fly, this upper atmosphere jet stream makes a perfect target for a particular kind of scientific experiment: the sounding rocket. Some 35 to 40 feet long (~12 m), sounding rockets shoot up into the sky for short journeys of eight to ten minutes, allowing scientists to probe difficult-to-reach layers of the atmosphere.

NASA will launch five such rockets in approximately five minutes to study these high-altitude winds and their intimate connection to the complicated electrical current patterns that surround Earth. First noticed in the 1960s, the winds in this jet stream shouldn’t be confused with the lower jet stream located around 30,000 feet (9 km), through which passenger jets fly and which is reported in weather forecasts.

This rocket experiment is designed to gain a better understanding of the high-altitude winds and help scientists better model the electromagnetic regions of space that can damage man-made satellites and disrupt communications systems. The experiment will also help explain how the effects of atmospheric disturbances in one part of the globe can be transported to other parts of the globe in a mere day or two.

“This area shows winds much larger than expected,” says Miguel Larsen, a space scientist at Clemson University who is the principal investigator for these five rockets

“We don’t yet know what we’re going to see, but there is definitely something unusual going on. ATREX will help us understand the big question about what is driving these fast winds.”

Determining what drives these winds requires precise understanding of the way the winds move and what kind of turbulence they show. To get an idea of the task at hand, imagine mapping not just the ups and downs of ocean waves but the attendant surf, undertow, and tides, all from 60 miles away and in only 20 minutes.

To accomplish this, the five sounding rockets will launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia releasing a chemical tracer into the air. The chemical – a substance called trimethyl aluminum (TMA) — forms milky, white clouds that allow those on the ground to “see” the winds in space and track them with cameras. In addition, two of the rockets will have instrumented payloads to measure pressure and temperature in the atmosphere.

The rockets will be launched on a clear night within a period of minutes, so the trails can all be seen at the same time. The trimethyl aluminum will then be released in space out over the Atlantic Ocean at altitudes from 50 to 90 miles (80 – 144 km). The cloud tracers will last for up to 20 minutes and will be visible in the mid-Atlantic region, and along the east coast of the United States from parts of South Carolina to New Jersey. (NASA ATREX Mission)

Sounding rockets are usually launched one or two at a time, so launching five at once will call for specific timing and direction to gather the required data. The rockets must be launched on a clear night between March 14 and April 3. Scientists will then use special camera equipment to track the five clouds and measure how quickly they move away from each other. They can then plug this information into equations that will describe what kind of turbulence exists in the winds.

ATREX launch status updates

To try to spot the sounding rocket trails, follow the launch status updates here.

How to watch mission lauch online:

https://watchers.news/2012/03/21/how-to-watch-live-atrex-mission-launch-5-suborbital-rockets-in-5-minutes/

About Trimethyl aluminium (TMA)

Trimethyl aluminium is the chemical compound with the formula Al2(CH3)6, abbreviated as Al2Me6, (AlMe3)2 or the abbreviation TMA. This pyrophoric, colorless liquid is an industrially importantorganoaluminium compound. It evolves white smoke (aluminium oxides) when the vapor is released into the air.

pyrophoric substance (from Greek πυροφοροςpurophoros, “fire-bearing”) is a substance that will ignite spontaneously in air. Examples are iron sulfide and many reactive metals includinguranium, when powdered or sliced thin. Pyrophoric materials are often water-reactive as well and will ignite when they contact water or humid air. They can be handled safely in atmospheres of argon or (with a few exceptions) nitrogen.

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 vapor. Aluminum oxides are used to combat heartburn and to purify drinking water. Also, all three products occur naturally in the atmosphere. The TMA poses no threat to the public during preparation on the ground or during the release in space.

Featured image: NASA – ATREX – video screen capture

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2 Comments

  1. There seems to be an devisedly Insidious aspect to this Particular Administration’s mission [To Conquer AmeriKA and RULE the World?]?
    The JET stream where these alleged meteorologic Rockets, claim [clearly AIM to Deceive] that they are for “Research purposes’ while the NEW PYROphorric T.M.A. Tri-Methyl Aluminum a.k.a. Munimula, seem to have Mutil-Purposed aspect More BANGS for the BIG Buck$? The Medically deleterious Hazard to all Life Forms especially HUmans also seem to have associated Spontaneous combustive qualities? Perhaps to precipitate False Flagged
    “Wild Forrest Fires” or merely to Murder off a few Million of U.S. for their Global Population Agendas of One World Elitist Satanic RA RULE? They likely have a YET to Be Determined corollary H.A.A.R.P. associated Demonic use? [reflecting the Mega Watt Micro-Wave Intensified Beams?]

  2. Health effects of aluminum
    Aluminum is one of the most widely used metals and also one of the most frequently found compounds in the earth’s crust. Due to these facts, aluminum is commonly known as an innocent compound. But still, when one is exposed to high concentrations, it can cause health problems. The water-soluble form of aluminum causes the harmful effects, these particles are called ions. They are usually found in a solution of aluminum in combination with other ions, for instance as aluminum chlorine.

    The uptake of aluminum can take place through food, through breathing and by skin contact. Long lasting uptakes of significant concentrations of aluminum can lead to serious health effects, such as:

    – Damage to the central nervous system
    – Dementia
    – Loss of memory
    – Listlessness
    – Severe trembling

    Aluminum is a risk in certain working environments, such as mines, where it can be found in water. People that work in factories where aluminum is applied during production processes may endure lung problems when they breathe in aluminum dust. Aluminum can cause problems for kidney patients when it enters the body during kidney dialyses.
    Inhalation of finely divided aluminum and aluminum oxide powder has been reported as a cause of pulmonary fibrosis and lung damage. This effect, know as Shaver’s Disease, is complicated by the presence in the inhaled air of silica and oxides of iron. May also be implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.
    Environmental effects of aluminum
    The effects of aluminum have drawn our attention, mainly due to the acidifying problems. Aluminum may accumulate in plants and cause health problems for animals that consume these plants.

    The concentrations of aluminum appear to be highest in acidified lakes. In these lakes the number of fish and amphibians is declining due to reactions of aluminum ions with proteins in the gills of fish and the embryo’s of frogs.
    High aluminum concentrations do not only cause effects upon fish, but also upon birds and other animals that consume contaminated fish and insects and upon animals that breathe in aluminum through air. The consequences for birds that consume contaminated fish are eggshell thinning and chicks with low birth-weights. The consequences for animals that breathe in aluminum through air may be lung problems, weight loss and a decline in activity.

    Another negative environmental effect of aluminum is that its ions can react with phosphates, which causes phosphates to be less available to water organisms.

    High concentrations of aluminum may not only be found in acidified lakes and air, but also in the groundwater of acidified soils. There are strong indications that aluminum can damage the roots of trees when it is located in groundwater.

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