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In order to study smoke particles in the mesosphere, all related processes should be addressed by co-ordinated experiments: smoke particle distribution, atmospheric dynamics, charge distribution and neutral tracers.
The rocket will take scientific instruments to a height of about 100 km. During the flight, we will attempt to collect the meteoric material in the atmosphere.
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 | 2005-01-10
Early this morning at 03:13 UTC a small stratospheric balloon was released carrying a hygrometer. The balloon reached an altitude of 33,7 km and flew for approximately 2 hours into the northern part of Finland.
03:29 UTC the first of three meteorological rockets (Super Loki) was released
it reached an altitude of 90 km.
04:37 UTC Launch of the MAGIC rocket (Improved Orion) which reached an altitude of 95 km.
06:00 UTC Launch of Super Loki 2
07:03 UTC Launch of Super Loki 3
Approximately 100 ton of sub-mm meteoric particles enter the Earth’s upper
atmosphere each day. These particles come with typical speeds of 10-20 km/s. Collisions with air molecules heat the particles to temperatures high enough to vaporise them. This happens at heights between 70 and 100 km, in a part of the atmosphere that is known as the mesosphere. During this evaporation process larger particles can glow so brightly that they become visible from the ground as shooting stars.
This was the objective of the MAGIC project. Basic scientific questions are:
• Do re-condensed smoke particles of cosmic origin exist in the mesosphere?
• What is the number density and spatial distribution of the particles?
• What is the size distribution of the particles?
• What is their charge state?
• What is the elemental and molecular composition of the particles?
Contact persons:
Lennart Andersson, Project manager, SSC Esrange
Thomas Karlsson, Project Manager, SSC Space Systems
Misha Khaplanov, Department of Meteorology Stockholm University |