The original plan of NASA to launch artificial clouds was reported to be thwarted by some Mother Nature circumstances. However, the event is said to be moved to June 11 but the space agency will reveal the exact time and launch date on the Wallops Flight Facility web page.
According to Mic, NASA plans to launch rockets carrying ten soft drink can sized canisters of blue-green and red vapor to artificial clouds. The two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket is said to be launched from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. NASA’s cameras are stationed at Wallops and in Duck, North Carolina to record the event.
With that said, the canisters were said to launch the vapors 50 and 248 miles above Earth. The vapors are then defined to produce artificial colored clouds which are colored blue-green and red. The artificial cloud vapors are described to contain barium, strontium, and cupric oxide. The metal compounds were identified to pose no harm to citizens watching the event due to the altitude that the vapors will be released in.
The reason for the event was said to be that NASA scientists’ aim to track the clouds launched in order to study particle motions in space. The canisters were stated to be released five minutes after the launch. The launch was originally planned for May 31 but some circumstances prevented the event as The Register reported.
The original attempt was blown due to the clouds launched only above the two ground stations being used for observation and high winds seem to not cooperate as well. The next attempt was then stated to be canceled because of the boats that arrived in the North Atlantic region, which is where the rocket is expected to land. Hence, the Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket is resting at the Launchpad as of now.
Nonetheless, people not aware of NASA’s artificial clouds launch is still given an opportunity as the plan is moved to June 11 due to weather conditions as well. The event is said to be watched around 4 AM by residents on the East Coast from New York down to North Carolina. For people who are worried, NASA announced that a Livestream will be made available on Wallops Ustream page.
