The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has received $6.5 million in funding from NASA to launch a roughly shoebox-sized satellite into space carrying an instrument designed to measure the howling thermospheric winds, which can gust more than 300 miles per hour through the highest reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere.
The blustery winds in the thermosphere — the upper layer of the atmosphere that thins into space and which hosts orbiting satellites and dazzling auroras — can impact radio and GPS communications. But despite their disruptive potential, thermospheric winds are sparsely observed.
NCAR’s new, rectangular “CubeSat,” which will check in at just over a foot on its longest side, will contribute a wealth of new observational data that can help scientists improve models of the upper atmosphere and, ultimately, better predict impacts to communication systems and satellites. The CubeSat, dubbed WindCube, will likely be ready for launch in about three years.
“This is a significant achievement for NCAR and its High Altitude Observatory (HAO),” said NCAR Director Everette Joseph. “While the observatory has supported many satellite missions in the past, this is the first project our organization is leading. I am excited that we will be able to provide the research community with critical data for fundamental research that will ultimately help society better prepare for these disruptions in Earth’s upper atmosphere.”
Read more at National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
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