NASA Sets Launch Date for Five Rocket Mission from Virginia

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va., March 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA scheduled the launch of five suborbital sounding rockets from the Wallops Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream between midnight and 5 a.m., Tuesday, March 27.

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The countdown will begin Monday evening March 26. The launch window may be narrowed following a weather briefing Sunday evening, March 25.

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 above the surface of the Earth.

As part the mission, the five rockets will release a chemical tracer 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.

More information on the ATREX mission is available on the Internet at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/atrex.html

SOURCE NASA