Today, auroral scientists use instruments to study the region around the aurora in the upper atmosphere.  One method that  scientists get instrumentation into this region is to use sounding rockets.  

A sounding rocket is defined as a rocket that takes a parabolic path into space, but does not orbit the earth.  It is a sub-orbital rocket.  

One of the most difficult challenges that auroral scientists face when using sounding rockets as observation platforms for studying the aurora, is the launch decision.  In order to assist researchers in this endeavor, a vast array of ground and space-based data is available to provide a better "picture" of auroral conditions. 

In order to "hit" the region of space above the aurora that is responsible for the visible auroral arcs we see, scientists need to predict the optimum time in the rocket trajectory and to forecast the auroral conditions roughly ten minutes into the future based on current conditions.

 Thus, it is not enough to simply examine all the available data to find out where and how intense the auroral conditions are -- some amount of experience, luck, and hopeful extrapolations using the existing theoretical understanding of aurora will all assist in launching into a good event.

Rockets travel over 1000 km above the earth.  This is a region above the aurora.  Rockets are used to test new scientific instrumentation and provide hands-on training for students. Unlike satellites, they travel slowly through the aurora during a single mission, making highly detailed measurements.

Another way scientists get instrumentation into the region of space above the aurora is to use satellites.  This region of space is called the "auroral acceleration" region.  

The Fast Auroral SnapshoT (FAST) Small Explorer Satellite is one such tool.  Satellite data from FAST provides scientists with a "slice" or snapshot of the region it passes through.  

The FAST satellite travels in an elliptical orbit ranging between 350 and 4000 km above the earth.  The advantage of a satellite is that it can travel to higher altitudes above the Earth than rockets.  Data at various heights provide scientists with a vertical look at the auroral acceleration region.   

Aurorae have been witnessed for thousands of years and were the first hint that the earth's upper atmosphere, called the ionosphere, were tied to a larger near-Earth space environment. 

The advent of the space age revolutionized our view of how the auroral arcs and lights are created.  We now know that their creation and movement depends on the solar wind interaction with the earth's magnetic field. 

Using this website, you can learn about the aurora and .become an Auroral Explorer.  Join scientists as they examine and assess both space- and ground-based instrument data surrounding a rocket launch that will help them learn more about auroral creation.