written by miles hatfield, on september 29th, 2023
who: nasa
what: three sounding rockets to be launched up to the ionosphere during the solar eclipse
when: on October 14th, launching 35 minutes apart, before, during, and after the eclipse
where: the rockets are expected to launch from new mexico, just outside the path of anularity
why: to measure what happens to the ionosphere when an eclipse happens
interesting paragraph: (para 15) “this won’t be the only apep launch. the apep rockets launched in new mexico will be recovered and then relaunched from nasa’s wallops flight facility in virginia, on april 8, 2024, when a total solar eclipse will cross the u.s. from texas to maine. the april launches are farther from the eclipse path than for the october annular eclipse, but will present an opportunity to measure just how widespread the effects of an eclipse are.”
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