NASA on May 16, 2021 launched KiNET-X mission on a Black Brant XII rocket, from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
- This suborbital launch created violet and green lights in the sky over parts of the U.S. East Coast.
Objective of KiNET-X Mission
- The Kinetic-scale Energy and Momentum Transport Experiment mission (KiNET-X mission) aims to better understand how energy and momentum transfer in phenomena like auroras, between “different regions of space that are magnetically connected.
- A four-stage Black Brant XII rocket was used for the mission which released barium vapor to form two green-violet clouds. The NASA says the barium vapor is not harmful to the environment or public health.
What are Auroras?
- Auroras on our planet arise from solar particles that flow along the magnetic north and south poles of the Earth.
- These occur after particles pass through the Earth’s magnetic shield and interact with atoms and molecules of oxygen, nitrogen and other elements.
- If you’re near the North Pole, it is called an aurora borealis or northern lights. If you’re near the South Pole, it is called an aurora australis or the southern lights, says NASA.
