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NASA Research Rocket Finally Launched from Wallops Facility

 

     ATLANTIC, Va. (AP) - After several delays, NASA has launched five rockets from Virginia that are part of a study of the upper level jet stream.

     The rockets began blasting off just before 5 a.m. Tuesday from NASA's space center on Wallops Island. Bad weather had postponed other planned launches last week.

     The Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) will help scientists understand the jet stream, which is located 60 to 65 miles above Earth's surface.

     After launching, the rockets released a chemical tracer to form white clouds that allowed scientists and the public to visualize the winds.

     A NASA news release says the launches and clouds were reportedly seen from as far south as Wilmington, N.C.; west to Charlestown, W.Va.; and north to Buffalo, N.Y.

    

 

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.