Red
and white vapor clouds filled the skies over the Marshall Islands as
part of NASA’s Equatorial Vortex Experiment (EVEX). The red cloud was
formed by the release of lithium vapor and the white tracer clouds were
formed by the release of trimethyl aluminum (TMA). These clouds allowed
scientists on the ground from various locations in the Marshall Islands
to observe the neutral winds in the ionosphere.
The EVEX was
successfully conducted during the early morning hours on May 7 from Roi
Namur, Republic of the Marshall Islands. A NASA Terrier-Oriole sounding
rocket was launched at 3:39 a.m. EDT and was followed by a launch of
Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket 90 seconds later. Preliminary
indications are that both rockets released their vapor clouds of lithium
or trimethyl aluminum, which were observed from various locations in
the area, and all science instruments on the rockets worked as planned.
Image Credit: NASA/John Grant