(AccuWeather) NASA rockets to blast off during the height of the solar eclipse
The alignment of the sun, moon and Earth presents a rare opportunity for scientists to study the planet’s atmosphere and how it changes during the event. During October’s “ring of fire” solar eclipse across the western United States, NASA launched rockets from New Mexico and aims to conduct similar launches on April 8. “Rockets will launch at three different times: 45 minutes before, during, and 45 minutes after the peak local eclipse,” NASA explained, adding that the rockets would launch from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The goal is to collect important data about the Earth’s ionosphere, a region between 55 and 310 miles above the planet’s surface that is crucial for communications. “Understanding the ionosphere and developing models to help us predict disturbances is crucial to making sure our increasingly communication-dependent world operates smoothly,” NASA said.
