NASA Five Rocket ATREX Mission Moved To March 20

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va., March 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has rescheduled the launch of five suborbital sounding rockets from the Wallops Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream to no earlier than Tuesday night, March 20.

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The high probability of unacceptable weather is preventing a launch attempt on March 19.

The Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) will gather information needed to better understand the process responsible for the high-altitude jet stream located 60 to 65 miles above the surface of the Earth.

As part the mission, the five rockets will release a chemical tracer that will form milky, white clouds that allow scientists and the public to "see" the winds in space.  These clouds may be visible for up to 20 minutes by residents from South Carolina to southern New Hampshire and Vermont.

A decision on a March 20 launch attempt will be made Monday afternoon, March 19.

More information on the ATREX mission is available on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/atrex.html

SOURCE NASA

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