If you've been waiting for the Atlas 5 rocket to launch, that day is nearly upon us. It's finally been revealed that the project's mission leaders have approved the launch, and have confirmed an official launch date as well. The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will rollout on Wednesday morning, and will officially liftoff on Thursday night. All of this is a part of the Magnetospheric Multiscale project, which was done for NASA.
Just what will the Atlas 5 rocket be doing? The rocket is full of sensors, multiple sensors that will measure and examine the magnetic fields around the Earth, as well as study how magnetic energy can be transformed into particle energy. Says Craig Tooley, project manager for the Atlas 5 rocket and the Magnetospheric Multiscale project, described the craft in more detail:
"We have built four, large, identical, very sensitive, spinning spacecraft that we will fly in formation," Tooley explained.
As well, NASA launch director Omar Baez explained that everything was moving on schedule, and that the Atlas 5 rocket would soon be launching. "This morning, we successfully held the NASA Launch Readiness Review."
Jeff Newmark, NASA's interim director of the Heliophsyics Division, explained in more detail what the Atlas 5 will be studying, why studying the magnetic energy in space is beneficial, and what the potential problems in the launch might be.
Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important drivers of space weather events," Newmark revealed.
"Eruptive solar flares, coronal mass ejections and geomagnetic storms all involve the release, through reconnection, of energy stored in magnetic fields. Space weather events can affect modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation and electrical power grids."
There have been Atlas 5 launches in the past, but this one is poised to be particularly special. And on Thursday- that's March 12- the Atlas 5's mission will have just begun.
Join the Conversation