NASA Rocket Discovers New Energization Process in Upper Atmosphere

A time-lapse photo shows a rocket launching into the sky, leaving a bright, arcing trail against a backdrop of mountains and a clear blue sky. Snow-covered ground and scattered clouds are visible, with the horizon stretching below.
A timelapse of the Twin Rockets to Investigate Cusp Electrodynamics (TRICE-2) mission launching from Andøya Space Center in Andenes, Norway on Dec. 8, 2018.
NASA/Jamie Adkins

When it comes to discoveries about our upper atmosphere, it pays to know your surroundings.

Using data from the Twin Rockets to Investigate Cusp Electrodynamics (TRICE-2) rocket launch, NASA scientist Francesca Di Mare and Gregory Howes from the University of Iowa studied waves traveling down Earth’s magnetic field lines into the polar atmosphere. These waves were known to accelerate electrons, which pick up speed as they “surf” along the electric field of the wave. But their effect on ions — a more heterogenous group of positively charged particles, which exist alongside electrons — was unknown.

By estimating the ion mixture they were flying through — predominantly protons and singly-charged oxygen ions — the scientists discovered that these waves were accelerating protons as they circle about the Earth’s magnetic field lines as well as electrons as they surf the waves. The findings reveal a new way our upper atmosphere is energized.

Read more about the new results in Physical Review Letters.

发布者:Dr.Durant,转转请注明出处:https://robotalks.cn/nasa-rocket-discovers-new-energization-process-in-upper-atmosphere/

(0)
上一篇 23 7 月, 2024 6:48 上午
下一篇 23 7 月, 2024 6:48 上午

相关推荐

发表回复

您的电子邮箱地址不会被公开。 必填项已用 * 标注

联系我们

400-800-8888

在线咨询: QQ交谈

邮件:admin@example.com

工作时间:周一至周五,9:30-18:30,节假日休息

关注微信
社群的价值在于通过分享与互动,让想法产生更多想法,创新激发更多创新。