Google and NASA are studying the aurora

Google will help NASA to carry out научный experiment to study the aurora and its impact on satellite communications. The task Google enters shooting the night sky near Lake Pitkäjärvi (Finland), while NASA probes will collect data on the orbit.

Google cameras have been installed on the lake and see the panoramic views possible online . Judging by the tracks in the snow, there are used conventional cars Street View. Instead, the camera on a tripod is one person.



Aurora - the glow of the upper atmosphere due to the interaction with the charged particles of the solar wind. This is a rare phenomenon that can only be seen at certain latitudes, at a particular time of the year.

Pitkäjärvi lake is at a latitude of 63 ° 9'0.01 "and longitude 25 ° 19'0.01".

For Atmospheric Research developed special probes Auroral Spatial Structures Probe (ASSP). Their mission - to explore the characteristics of the aurora, as well as the heating of the atmosphere around the auroral zone, arising in connection with these gas streams. This will help to test the theory that the gas flows significantly affect the orbits of satellites (experiment Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere Turbulence ).



sounding rockets Auroral Spatial Structures Probe (upper part) i>

Overcoming zone aurora, sounding rockets emissions into the atmosphere six small probes at a speed of 40 m / s. Each of them will last 10 minutes, by measuring the electromagnetic radiation and ion density. After that fall into the Arctic Ocean. Sounding rocket launch from Baikonur Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska to 27 January 2015.





Source: geektimes.ru/post/244532/