NASA rockets to explore the northern lights

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

The aurora borealis, one of nature's most spectacular displays, will get a visit from several unmanned NASA research rocket probes in Alaska over the next couple of weeks.

The missions will look at the roles the aurora plays in Earth's weather and their impact on the planet's atmosphere.

Though not the first rocket probes into an aurora, these "will give us a wealth of information that we have not had previously," said Charles Swenson, a Utah State University professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Swenson is the principal investigator for one of the probes, known as the Auroral Spatial Structures Probe (ASSP).

For centuries, the aurora borealis — better known as the northern lights — has fascinated those who see the phenomenon. At their simplest, NASA said, the northern lights are caused when particles flowing from the sun are caught up in the Earth's magnetic field.

These particles then interact with molecules of atmospheric gases to cause the famed glowing red and green colors of the aurora.

The lights are visible in both the far northern and southern parts of the world. (The southern lights are known as aurora australis.)

The flow of particles from the sun and the sun's magnetic field affects Earth in many ways. Geomagnetic "storms" caused by solar activity can disrupt some radio communications, harm satellites, and even knock out power systems.

The ASSP probe will primarily study how heat from the aurora can impact satellites orbiting the Earth. Other probes from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and Clemson University will explore such questions as how the Earth's atmosphere responds to auroras and effects ozone.

Overall, the probes will provide a better understanding of the physical and electrical makeup of the upper atmosphere, along with how auroras and geomagnetic storms affect power grid infrastructure around the world.

Before the rockets can launch, "we need cooperation of both space weather and terrestrial weather," namely active aurora and a clear sky, Swenson said.

"The outlook for aurora for the next few days is not promising, but our ability to predict is not so good. We could still have good conditions," he said.

The rockets will blast off from Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks. The ASSP probe will be in flight for about 14 minutes, of which 10 minutes will be to collect data, Swenson said. "The probe is disposable and will splash down in the Arctic Ocean."

The other probes are also disposable and have similar flight times.