NASA is hoping to get back to the launching pad at the Wallops Flight Facility this weekend to shoot off a two-stage sounding rocket that may be visible from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other eastern states.
The launch was postponed twice because of bad weather conditions at the flight center in eastern Virginia, but NASA will be trying again Saturday night, Jan. 8, sometime between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
NASA says the Black Brant IX rocket is part of a mission designed to study soft X-rays from space that regularly bombard the Earth.
Among the states that could get a glimpse of the rocket shortly after it takes off are Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
In case you are too far away or your view is blocked by clouds, the rocket launch can be seen on a live video stream on the Wallops YouTube site. Coverage is set to start at 10:40 p.m. Eastern time on the day of the launch.
Researchers from NASA and the University of Miami are hoping the mission will help them understand more about the sources and characteristics of soft X-rays in space.
“While not harmful to humans on Earth, soft X-rays can make changes in the Earth’s ionosphere which can disturb radio communications and the accuracy of GPS navigation systems,” NASA said. “They have lower energy as compared to hard X-rays, which are used in imaging for medical applications.”
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.
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