By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept

Science, Space & Technology

Space Science Digital
Contact
Search
  • Home
  • Environment

    Early-universe prequel to a huge galaxy cluster

    May 3, 2023

    Saturn’s moon count grows by 62 for a record 145 satellites

    May 17, 2023

    Other-centered perspectives, from neighboring stars

    June 14, 2023

    Satellite views lightning from space to help predict storms

    July 5, 2023
  • Space Flight

    Life on Titan: Quantum effects could be key to the chemistry of life on Saturn’s moon

    March 18, 2023

    Interstellar travel: Plasma sail spacecraft could soar like an albatross to Alpha Centauri

    December 2, 2022

    OneWeb set to complete initial constellation with launch from India

    March 25, 2023

    EGS Integration Console engineers review Artemis I campaign

    April 1, 2023
  • Cosmology

    Potentially Active Volcanoes Have Been Found on Venus

    March 16, 2023

    Beads of Lunar Glass Boost Hopes for Using the Moon’s Water

    March 27, 2023

    This JWST Image Shows Gravitational Lensing at its Finest

    April 5, 2023

    Mother of Dragons: Astronomers Peer Inside the “Dragon Cloud”

    April 12, 2023
  • Latest
  • About Us
Reading: NASA rockets to search for hurricane-like swirls in Earth’s upper atmosphere
Share
Aa
Space Science DigitalSpace Science Digital
  • Environment
  • Space Flight
  • Cosmology
  • Technology
Search
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Environment
    • Technology
    • Cosmology
    • Space Flight
  • More Foxiz
    • Blog Index
    • Forums
    • Complaint
    • Sitemap
Follow US
© 2023 Space Science Digital. All Rights Reserved.
Space Science Digital > Blog > News > NASA rockets to search for hurricane-like swirls in Earth’s upper atmosphere
News

NASA rockets to search for hurricane-like swirls in Earth’s upper atmosphere

By Jayden Hanson March 17, 2023 6 Min Read
Share

[ad_1]

NASA rockets to search for hurricane-like swirls in Earth's upper atmosphere
Buoyancy waves often leave “ripples” in clouds like those seen over the Pacific Ocean in this image from NASA’s Terra satellite captured on Oct. 4, 2020. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens

A NASA rocket team is on the hunt for giant hurricane-like swirls in our upper atmosphere. These swirls, or vortices, may be key to upper atmospheric weather patterns that affect the entire globe. The Vorticity Experiment, or VortEx mission, is readying for a launch on March 17, 2023, from the Andøya Space Center in Andenes, Norway.

If you’ve ever stood atop a mountain or tall building, you’ve probably noticed how gusty it gets up there. High-altitude winds are factored into architects’ plans and pilots’ routes, but their influence on our planet extends well beyond the typical human domain. These winds are sources of buoyancy waves: giant pulses of energy that drive changes at Earth’s interface to space.

Buoyancy waves are common occurrences on Earth. “They could come from approaching storm fronts, or winds hitting the mountains and being sent upwards,” said Gerald Lehmacher, a professor of physics at Clemson University in South Carolina and principal investigator for the Vorticity Experiment, or VortEx, mission.

Buoyancy waves form when a gust or disturbance suddenly pushes denser air upwards into a lower pressure region, creating an oscillation as the atmosphere tries to return to equilibrium. These oscillations lead to waves that propagate away from the disturbance, similar to ripples in a pond.

Although buoyancy waves are common, their effects higher up in the atmosphere are still poorly understood.

“In the broadest sense, this experiment is about learning about the fate of buoyancy waves at the edge of space,” Lehmacher said.

VortEx is looking for one fate in particular: vortices. As buoyancy waves move upwards and pass through stable layers of our atmosphere, computer models have shown they can form giant swirls of air.

NASA rockets to search for hurricane-like swirls in Earth's upper atmosphere
One of the rocket payloads is transported to the launch rail in Andenes, Norway. Credit: NASA

“They could turn into whirls—this could be happening everywhere in the atmosphere, but we simply don’t have the measurements to know,” Lehmacher said.

Thought to stretch tens of miles from one side to the other, these vortices are too big to measure with conventional approaches. Lehmacher designed VortEx to overcome this limitation, measuring winds at widely separated locations.

The mission will use four rockets, launched two at a time. Each pair consists of one high-flyer and one low-flyer, launched a few minutes apart. The high-flyer, which will peak at approximately 224 miles (360 kilometers) altitude, will measure the winds. The low-flyer, reaching approximately 87 miles (140 kilometers) altitude, will measure air density, which affects how vortices form. Both rockets will make their measurements for a few minutes before falling back down into the Norwegian Sea.

To measure winds, the high-flying rocket will release luminescent clouds like those used in firework shows, tracking their motions from the ground. Most experiments of this type release the clouds from the rocket’s payload. But to spread out the clouds to reveal larger-scale patterns, VortEx will eject four subpayloads at a time, each reaching a distance of about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the rocket before releasing its own clouds.

This will happen at four different instances during the flight, for a total of 16 clouds at different heights and distances, which will help show large-scale patterns. Watching these clouds move, the VortEX team will look for any telltale signs of swirling. The team will then repeat the experiment, launching the second pair of rockets in different weather conditions either later that night or a few days later (depending on when conditions are favorable).

The VortEx team will also be watching for buoyancy waves from below. The Alomar Observatory, run by the Andøya Space Center in Andenes, Norway, has the necessary ground-based radar and imaging systems to detect buoyancy waves happening in real time. The location also features the Scandinavian mountains, which run the length of Norway from north to south. They are a regular source of buoyancy waves as winds rush against the mountains and shoot up into the sky.

If VortEx finds vortices, it would be a key step forwards in understanding upper atmospheric weather, which affects GPS navigation and communication signals. Current computer models of upper atmospheric weather still struggle to account for the effects of buoyancy waves. Vortices could be the key, Lehmacher says, because they are more predictable than buoyancy waves themselves.

“Vortical structures follow certain universal rules that we could put into models to make them work at these scales,” Lehmacher said. “Instead of tracking individual buoyancy waves, you would just describe them with a spectrum of vortices.”

Provided by
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center


Citation:
NASA rockets to search for hurricane-like swirls in Earth’s upper atmosphere (2023, March 17)
retrieved 19 March 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-03-nasa-rockets-hurricane-like-swirls-earth.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.



[ad_2]

TAGGED: atmosphere, Earths, hurricanelike, NASA, Rockets, search, swirls, upper

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
[mc4wp_form]
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Jayden Hanson March 17, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

[mc4wp_form]

HOT NEWS

Life on Titan: Quantum effects could be key to the chemistry of life on Saturn’s moon

Space Flight
March 18, 2023

Is that this black gap jet making stars explode?

Again to Article Listing Greater than twice the anticipated quantity of novae have been discovered…

October 27, 2024

NASA Says Spacecraft Crash Test Successfully Changes Asteroid’s Orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions…

October 11, 2022

World-Saving Spacecraft Passes Test

NASA says its DART spacecraft successfully shifted the path of an asteroid. For us earthlings,…

October 11, 2022

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Proposed CASTOR Area Telescope Waits on Authorities

The proposed Canadian led Cosmological Superior Survey Telescope for Optical and uv Analysis, generally referred to by its acronym CASTOR,…

News
October 27, 2024

The Environment of an Exoplanet Reveals Secrets and techniques About Its Floor

As astronomers have begun to collect information on the atmospheres of planets, we’re studying about their compositions and evolution. Thick…

Cosmology
December 23, 2023

Dwelling (Alone) on Mars: Actor Daniel Stern on main NASA in ‘For All Mankind’

If there's certainly a multiverse the place in each attainable end result occurs, then in a type of universes Marv…

News
December 23, 2023

China Spacewalk: Photo voltaic Panel Restore Check

Picture credit score: China Nationwide Area Administration (CNSA)/China Central Tv (CCTV) The primary extravehicular exercise of the Shenzhou-17 mission was…

News
December 23, 2023
We use our own and third-party cookies to improve our services, personalise your advertising and remember your preferences.
  • Jobs Board
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Exclusives
  • Learn How
  • Support
  • Solutions
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Editorial Policy
  • Marketing Solutions
  • Industry Intelligence

Follow US: 

Space Science Digital

Welcome to spacescience.digital, A source for the latest news and developments in the exciting field of space science. Our blog covers a wide range of topics, from the latest space missions and discoveries to updates on technology and scientific breakthroughs. We are passionate about sharing the wonders of the universe with our readers and providing them with engaging and informative content. Join us on this fascinating journey as we explore the mysteries of space and the frontiers of human knowledge.

© 2024 Space Science Digital. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?