What are sounding rockets?
(taken from a NASA sounding rocket publication)
What Are Sounding
Rockets?
Sounding rockets take their name from the nautical term "to sound"
which means to take measurements. They are basically divided into two
parts: a solid fueled rocket motor and the payload. The payload is the
section which carries the instruments to conduct the experiment and
send the data back to Earth.
The National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) currently uses 13 different sounding
rockets. The rockets come in a variety of sizes from the single-stage
Super Arcas which stands 7 feet (3 meters) high to the four-stage Black
Brant XII which stands at 65 feet (20 meters) tall. These rockets can
carry scientific payloads of various weights to altitudes from 30 miles
(48 km) to more than 800 miles (1,287 km).
Why NASA Uses Sounding
Rockets
Sounding rockets are low cost and the payload can be developed as quickly
as six months. These rockets allow scientists to conduct investigations
at specified times and altitudes. The experiments provide a variety
of information on the upper atmosphere, the Sun, stars, galaxies and
other planets.
NASA launches an average
of 25 sounding rockets each year with a success rate of about 99 percent.
They are launched routinely from established sites as Wallops Island,
Virginia; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; and Poker Flat Research
Range, Alaska, as well as sites in Canada, Norway and Sweden. Sounding
rockets also can be launched from temporary launch ranges. In the past,
launch programs have been conducted from Peru, Puerto Rico, Greenland,
Australia and even from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean.
Flight Profile
The flight profile of a
sounding rocket follows a parabolic trajectory, it goes up and comes
back down. Flight time is less than 30 minutes.
Following launch, as a rocket
motor uses its fuel it separates from the vehicle and falls back to
Earth. The payload continues into space after separating from the motors
and begins conducting the experiment. When the experiment is completed,
the payload reenters the atmosphere and a parachute is deployed, bringing
the payload gently back to Earth. The payload is then retrieved. By
retrieving the payload, a tremendous savings can be achieved because
the payload or parts of the payload can be refurbished and flown again.
Preparing For the
Future
Historically, sounding rocket missions have provided an excellent research
opportunity for graduate students at the Master's and Doctorate level.
In addition, high school and undergraduate students receive hands-on
education through the NASA Student Involvement Program and the Student
Launch Program, to involve students in the full research process from
experiment development through data analysis.
| 
