Glesener and Savage are readying their separate rockets to carry instruments designed to gather vital data on solar flares. These explosions on the sun release charged particles into space, sometimes causing auroras on Earth or disabling satellites and power grids. As they monitor live readings from satellites in orbit around the sun, they are waiting for a large solar flare to erupt before launching their rockets. However, today there are no significant flares predicted, so they are using the time to address any issues and make adjustments to their equipment.
Glesener and Savage understand that they will eventually have to make the decision to launch the rockets when the time is right. Solar flares typically last about ten minutes, and once the rockets are launched, they will quickly leave Earth’s atmosphere to get a clearer view of the flares using their telescopes. The rockets will remain above the dense atmosphere for only five minutes, allowing the instruments to collect valuable data on the solar flares. After this brief observation period, the rockets will descend back to Earth in Alaska, where workers will recover the rocket stages and parachutes using helicopters.
The scientists behind these missions are focused on gathering as much information as possible about solar flares to further our understanding of this natural phenomenon. They hope that by studying these explosions on the sun, we can better predict when they will occur and minimize their impact on Earth’s systems. With each successful mission, Glesener and Savage bring us one step closer to unlocking the mysteries of our closest star.