Wisconsin Booming Noises. Skyquakes. March 22, 2012. Pole Shift.

As we have all heard by now, Wisconsin residents are experiencing some strange noise phenomenon.  One explanation for this may be the destabilization of the Earth's core, which is causing a phenomenon called "skyquakes".


The following is information regarding the Wisconsin phenomenon and correlating explanation.  Please remember that I am posting information found on the Internet.  I cannot vouch or verify all of the information is accurate because it is from the Internet.  However, from the research I have been doing, the "skyquake" phenomenon is definitely a plausible scenario in this particular case.


Here you go...


SKYQUAKE 

Vibration, Booming Sounds Reported In Clintonville

City Officials: Residents Started Reporting Sounds Early Monday MorningUpdated: 6:38 pm CDT March 19, 2012 

CLINTONVILLE, Wis. -- The mysterious booming noises heard in Clintonville apparently have stopped -- for now. 

Officials in that the city 40 miles west of Green Bay said there have been no additional reports of unusual activity since about 1:30 p.m. Monday. 

Shortly before 2 a.m., residents flooded the Clintonville Police Dispatch with calls reporting explosions, rattling, vibrations and homes shaking. About 150 calls were received between 1:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. 

The city contacted geologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but says the noises and vibrations felt in Clintonville were not typical of earthquake activity. 

Source: Channel 3000

SKYQUAKE 

Sounds Reported In Clintonville 
UPDATED Wednesday, March 21, 2012 --- 11:55 a.m.

CLINTONVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- Officials in an eastern Wisconsin city are trying to record a series of mysterious booming sounds that have roused residents from bed in the past few days, but their attempts have so far come up empty. 

The city of Clintonville set up audio and video recorders overnight Wednesday but didn't capture anything. There was at least one loud boom at 5 a.m. 

City administrator Lisa Kuss says most theories involving manmade causes have been ruled out. She says the city is planning to bring in some sort of vibration-detection devices to try to determine where the epicenter is. 

The booms started Sunday. Residents describe them as sounding like thunder, fireworks or someone slamming a heavy door. 

The city will hold a meeting Wednesday evening to update residents on the investigation. 

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.
__________________________________________________
UPDATED Wednesday, March 21, 2012 --- 9:05 a.m.
CLINTONVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- Mysterious underground booms have resonated again in the eastern Wisconsin city of Clintonville. 

Police dispatcher Tabitha Schoen says it was a quiet night in Clintonville until shortly after 5 a.m. when about 20 calls came in from residents who felt and heard the booms. 

The booms, which have been compared to rumbles of thunder, sonic booms or fireworks, rattled homes and awakened some residents Sunday and Monday nights. 

Authorities are at a loss to explain. 

Seismologists have recorded unusual ground shaking in the area, similar to that caused by quarrying, mining and heavy truck traffic. But the city has ruled out such activities as possible sources of the disturbance. 

A meeting about the mysterious noise is scheduled Wednesday night at the high school in Clintonville. 

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.
__________________________________________________
UPDATED Wednesday, March 21, 2012 --- 6:00 a.m.CLINTONVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- Mysterious underground booms resumed early Wednesday in the eastern Wisconsin community of Clintonville after a quiet night. 

The noise awakened some residents Sunday and Monday night. After checking numerous theories about what may have caused the noise, authorities are still at a loss to explain the origin. 

Police dispatcher Tabitha Schoen says it was a quiet night in Clintonville until shortly after 5 a.m. when about 20 calls came in from residents who experienced the booms. They've been described as rumbles of thunder, sonic booms or fireworks and have rattled houses. 

A meeting about the mysterious noise is scheduled Wednesday night at the high school in Clintonville. 

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press. 

Source: NBC 15

SKYQUAKE 

Mysterious Booms Wake Wisconsin Residents Up For Third Straight Day

Forget worrying about the wake up call of a rooster, residents in the Wisconsin city of Clintonville were woken up for the second time this week by the sound of a mysterious “boom.” The third time that such a noise has been heard in as many days.

The loud yet to be discovered noise was first heard in the early morning hours of Sunday and then again on Monday night.At this time authorities are not quite sure what has caused the “boom” noise. According to one city administrator: 

“It startled everyone. They thought something had hit their house or a tree fell on their roof.”
City officials tried to pool together their collective brainpower to come up with an explanation but so far they’ve been unable to pinpoint the location of the noise. 

Clintonville residents in the meantime believe that the sounds are coming from underground which has led city workers to check and then recheck methane levels at local landfills, water pipes, sewer pipes and gas lines. 

Officials even went so far as to contact the military to make sure they were not performing any type of military exercise in the area. 

After all of those attempts turned up nothing they reviewed mining explosive permits and even checked the Pigeon River damn which is located next to city hall. 

A local seismic station near the city has reported unusual seismic activity which is usually due to quarrying, mining or heavy truck traffic however the city ruled out those sources as the cause of the loud boom. 

A public meeting for the citizens of Clintonville will be held on Wednesday night to discuss the unexplained activity.
Read more at inquisitr.com



Booming sounds started up around 5 a.m.: fox11online.com

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS ACTIVITY HAS HAPPENED...


SKYQUAKE 

Skyquake Over Waushara County Wisconsin USA - December 10, 2008

Date:  - December 10, 2008                    

Time:  -   4:20 am CST                   

 Duration: -10 seconds 1st one.  Shorter on the Second quake.
Location: -Township of Leon, Wisconsin USA
Event:  - Reported on TV channel2 WBAY Green Bay under headline Mysterous Rumble Shakes    Washara County. 

 www.wbay.com -The following are two article that appeared on TV channel2 WBAY that back up the report sent in to Shadow Research, Inc.  Thank you.Mysterious Rumble Shakes Waushara County
Dec 11, 2008 

SKYQUAKE 

Mysterious Rumble Shakes Waushara County 

by Marcie Kobriger
What was it that shook residents in rural Waushara County out of their sleep Wednesday morning? 

"I've never experienced anything like that in my life. It was strange, scary," Kevin White said.
Residents near the Town of Leon say they felt the ground shake and heard a strange noise. Even the town chairman. 

"We were doing chores this morning in the barn about 4:30, and all of a sudden everything shook, rumbled, and the cows jumped a little bit and kind of looked around, and then my brother and I both heard a noise," Chris Sorenson said. 

Anna Syke was in the middle of a good night's sleep when something woke her. "I was sound asleep, 4:20 in the morning, and suddenly I wake up and the house is shaking. The best you can describe it as you would experience in an earthquake." 

She was expecting the worst while fearing it was all in her head. 

"Nothing came on the news. I called a sheriff's department employee that I'm friends with and he had no information, and then a neighbor called me at 5:30 and confirmed exactly what I felt." 

The call was from White, who felt and heard the same thing about a mile away.
He woke up because his cabin was shaking like a freight train.  

"First I thought, 'Am I having a dream?' but I can't be having a dream. I thought it was an earthquake. I never experienced an earthquake, but that's what I thought an earthquake would be like," White said. 

He said it sounded like thunder but was a constant rumble moving from south to north, and he could feel it through the cement slab. A minute-and-a-half later, it happened again. 

White called the sheriff's department, which told him it received similar calls from other people and that it was investigating. 

Given no explanation, White decided to take a look for himself. 

"What it got light at 7 o'clock, I went and hopped on the snowmobie to see if I could find anything out in the woods, and I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."

"There's a big block of 300 acres to the east of me that something could have crashed in there and you may not find it for quite a while," White offered. 

"Did something crash? Did something explode? We have a lot of cabins out by us that are unoccupied, so that was going through our mind," said Syke.

The sheriff's department tells Action 2 News its deputies searched the area for a cause, like a plane crash, but came up with nothing. 

The National Geological Survey and utility providers had nothing to report, either.

Which leaves those who felt and heard the rumblings to wonder what woke them. 

"I've never had this happen to me in my life, and it's kind of scary when your whole foundation is shaking. You kind of want to know what's, what's going on, you know? It's unexplained," said White. 

"Any answers we can get, because we're all just completely baffled, everyone who lives out here, and I think a little bit shook up -- literally, figuratively!" Syke said.

SOURCE:   SHADOW RESEARCH


SKYQUAKE

WISCONSIN - JULY 24, 2008 - A couple claims a mysterious noise plagues their house in Green Bay. The noise has been plaguing them for two years and sounds something like a rumbling motor, with a subtle vibration that won't quit. Then it stops - especially when they try to show city officials or acoustic experts what they're hearing. "It's like there's a semi parked right outside with the engine running, but when you look out, there isn't one." The couple have lived in the same house for 42 years. The problem only developed over the last two years.When they leave, the don't hear the noise, so they know it's not some health problem the two share. City officials hired a company for $1,000 worth of testing in the house this spring, but the tester came up with no noise and no significant vibration. The local alderman has heard the sound. "It's like an engine thing, a low-frequency vibration. I think it would be an annoyance." The immediate neighbors haven't complained, although some people have said they heard the sound.
SOURCE: MYSTERY BOOMS

SKYQUAKE 


POSTED BY THE FOLLOWING YOUTUBE POSTER...

Uploaded by ST3PRODUCTIONS on Jan 21, 20122012 Strange sounds heard worldwide explained Earth Hum -Strange Moaning Sounds Around The World are Skyquakes: Warnings From Earth's Destabilizing Core 

Harmonics may signal massive Earth core slippage
-- every 13000 years (when we cross the galactic equator?) the earth recieves a galactic wave that distrupts it's balance. 

For those that think it is a HOAX or need a formal news report , here it is -- search on YT - "Mainstream Reporting Strange Noises Heard Around The World - Jan 26, 2012" - then come back and watch this video so it can all sink in again. 

Renowned Geophysicist Says Strange Sky Sounds Are Real
http://goo.gl/zUa0J
STRANGE SOUNDS IN SKY EXPLAINED BY SCIENTISTS
http://goo.gl/QG5JW


What is happening is the liquid iron core of the Earth is spinning at a different rate than the planet's rotation and the slippage is causing a measurable migration of the Earth's magnetic field. http://www.amazon.com/Dying-Her-Love-Diary-ebook/dp/B00381ALMK/ref=cm_cr_pr_p... 

Earth's magnetic field in state of uncontrollable flux
The skyquakes are caused by harmonics deep inside the Earth traveling from a mutating core through the layers of the planet to the surface. The sky acts as a sounding board capturing and magnifying the sonic and electrical frequencies shot from the center of the world. 

Life depends on Earth's core. Something's happening to it. 

Death and destruction on an Apocalyptic scale 

The stresses building up in the core deep in the heart of the world also migrate outwards to the mantel and eventually the crust. Slipping strata within the bowels of the planet create incredible pressures...pressures so great that temperatures soar and dense metals flow like liquids. [See Doomsday: Earth's core spinning out of control] 

Water becomes a superheated plasma and interacts with layers of quartz crystals emitting harmonics audible as a hum and also generating earth lights and skyquakes echoing across the sky . [See: Underground lightning may cause earthquake and volcanic events]

SKYQUAKE 

"Spacequakes" Discovered in Earth's Upper Atmosphere

Ker Thanfor National Geographic News
Published July 30, 2010 

The sun can dump enough energy into Earth's magnetic field to trigger "spacequakes" in our planet's upper atmosphere, a new study has found. 

The space weather phenomenon—technically a strong vibration in the planet's magnetic field—can affect auroras and can spawn "space twisters" capable of bringing down power lines.
(Related: "Aurora 'Power Surges' Triggered by Magnetic Explosions.") 

In general, Earth's magnetic field lines can be thought of as rubber bands stretched taut by the solar wind, which is actually charged particles flowing in all directions from the sun, said study co-author Vassilis Angelopoulos, a space physicist at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Earth's magnetic tail is the part of the field that's stretched out like a windsock by the sun's steady bombardment. 

New data from a suite of NASA satellites called THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) show that, when a magnetic field line in the tail builds up too much energy, it snaps, and part of the line is sent hurtling back toward Earth.
In the process, the broken line can attract high-energy particles in Earth's atmosphere to create a whip-like "plasma jet." 

These jets crash into other parts of Earth's magnetic field at about 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) above the planet's surface, where they bounce like tennis balls hitting a carpet.
"We have learned that the plasma jets from the magnetic tail bounce and then bounce again, and so on, till they eventually lose all their energy," said Angelopoulos, also the principal investigator for THEMIS. 

Each set of plasma jet impacts can release as much energy in total as a magnitude 5 to 6 earthquake, THEMIS revealed. 

Spacequakes Spawn Magnetic Twisters 

In addition, the impacts set Earth's entire magnetic field vibrating, and they create highly magnetic vortices, or space twisters, that penetrate down into the planet's atmosphere.
(Related: "Earth's Magnetic Field Hisses Due to Distant 'Chorus'") 

These vortices twirl Earth's magnetic field lines in the North and South Poles, where they can create bright ripples and whirls in auroras. 

The effects of the vortices can even be felt on the ground, as they can induce current spikes in electrical lines that can bring down power grids over large areas. 

(Related: "Magnetic Twisters 'Dance' Across Mercury, Study Says.") 

By watching for spacequakes at polar monitoring stations—or even by looking at the visible effects in auroras—scientists can tell that major spacequakes happen about once a year, Angelopoulos said. 

Smaller ones happen about once every four hours, he added, so "we have plenty of opportunities to study them." 

The spacequakes study appears in the April issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
SOURCE: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

SKYQUAKE 

SCIENTIST: “SOUNDS OF THE APOCALYPSE” ARE REAL PHENOMENA!

Posted by D.E. Paine on Thursday, February 9, 2012 

RENOWNED GEOPHYSICIST SAYS STRANGE SKY SOUNDS ARE REAL
Dr. Elchin Khalilov, a geophysicist and a professor in Azerbaijan [map], has been conducting research into the recent wave of strange sky sounds.

Dr. Khalilov refers to the phenomena as “sky hum.” As a geophysicist, he has become intrigued by the numerous reports and recording of the sky sounds. While others in the research community might be inclined to dismiss the whole thing as nonsense, Dr. Khalilov has been working with other researchers to explain what might be causing it. 

In a recent article at GeoChange Journal (geochangemag.org), Dr. Khalilov responded to some questions about the sky hum phenomena. 

MR. KHALILOV, WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE UNUSUAL VERY LOW-PITCHED SOUNDS REPORTED BY A GREAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PLANET SINCE THE SUMMER OF 2011? MANY CALL THEM “THE SOUND OF THE APOCALYPSE”. INFORMATION ABOUT THAT COMES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD: US, UK, COSTA RICA, RUSSIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, AUSTRALIA, ETC.

Dr. Elchin Khalilo
“We have analyzed records of these sounds and found that most of their spectrum lies within the infrasound range, i.e. is not audible to humans. What people hear is only a small fraction of the actual power of these sounds. They are low-frequency acoustic emissions in the range between 20 and 100 Hz modulated by ultra-low infrasonic waves from 0.1 to 15 Hz. In geophysics, they are called acoustic-gravity waves; they are formed in the upper atmosphere, at the atmosphere-ionosphere boundary in particular. There can be quite a lot of causes why those waves are generated: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, storms, tsunamis, etc. However, the scale of the observed humming sound in terms of both the area covered and its power far exceeds those that can be generated by the above-mentioned phenomena.”

IN THAT CASE, WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THIS HUMMING IN THE SKY?
“In our opinion, the source of such powerful and immense manifestation of acoustic-gravity waves must be very large-scale energy processes. These processes include powerful solar flares and huge energy flows generated by them, rushing towards Earth’s surface and destabilizing the magnetosphere, ionosphere and upper atmosphere. Thus, the effects of powerful solar flares: the impact of shock waves in the solar wind, streams of corpuscles and bursts of electromagnetic radiation are the main causes of generation of acoustic-gravitation waves following increased solar activity. 

“Given the surge in solar activity as manifested itself in the higher number and energy of solar flares since mid-2011, we can assume that there is a high probability of impact of the substantial increase in solar activity on the generation of the unusual humming coming from the sky. It should be pointed out that solar activity began to rise sharply since early 2011, with its amplitude significantly higher than all forecasts given by a number of influential scientific institutions in 2010 and 2011. Meanwhile, the observed increase in solar activity is fully consistent with the forecast of the International Committee GEOCHANGE published in the Committee’s Report in June 2010. If this growth rate of solar activity continues, its amplitude by the end of 2012 will be higher than the amplitude of 23rd solar cycle, and in 2013-2014 the solar activity will reach its peak the amplitude of which was predicted by us to be 1.5 – 1.7 times higher than the amplitude of the 23rd cycle.” 

BUT YOU SAID THAT THE CAUSE OF THE “SKY HUM” CAN LIE WITHIN EARTH’S CORE AS WELL, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? 

“There is one more possible cause of these sounds and it may lie at the Earth’s core. The fact is that the acceleration of the drift of the Earth’s north magnetic pole which increased more than fivefold between 1998 and 2003 and is at the same level today points to intensification of energy processes in the Earth’s core, since it is processes in the inner and outer core that form the Earth’s geomagnetic field. Meanwhile, as we have already reported, on November 15, 2011 all ATROPATENA geophysical stations which record three-dimensional variations of the Earth’s gravitational field almost simultaneously registered a powerful gravitational impulse. The stations are deployed in Istanbul, Kiev, Baku, Islamabad and Yogyakarta, with the first and last one being separated by a distance of about 10,000 km. Such a phenomenon is only possible if the source of this emanation is at the Earth’s core level. That huge energy release from the Earth’s core at the end of the last year was some kind of a start signal indicating the transition of the Earth’s internal energy into a new active phase. 

“Intensification of the energy processes in the Earth’s core can modulate the geomagnetic field which, through a chain of physical processes at the ionosphere – atmosphere boundary level, generates acoustic-gravity waves the audible range of which has been heard by people in the form of a frightening low-frequency sound in different parts of our planet. 

“In both cases, even though the causes of acoustic-gravity waves are of a quite understandable geophysical nature, they are indicative of the expected significant increase in solar activity and the geodynamic activity of our planet. There is no doubt that processes in the core rule the internal energy of our planet, therefore, we should expect by the end of 2012 a sharp rise in strong earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and extreme weather events with peak levels in 2013 – 2014.” 

SOURCE: DATELINE ZERO.COM

WAITING...5 Rockets Being Launched By NASA From Virginia

UPDATE 3-20-2012

5 rockets again poised and awaiting good weather

NASA will launch them early Wednesday on wind-survey mission if conditions are right

SOURCE: MSNBC

5 in 5: 5 Rockets to Launch From Virginia Coast

• By Brian McLaughlin 
• Email Author 
• March 19, 2012 |  
• 8:00 am |  

ATREX Mission Trajectories (Image: NASA)

NASA is attempting to launch five rockets in five minutes from the Wallops Flight Facility this month. So far, conditions have not been favorable but the window of opportunity is open until April 3rd. The five rockets will launch into the far reaches of the atmosphere and release tracers that will form white clouds at an altitude of 100 kilometers to investigate the upper atmosphere jet stream. These are not to be confused with the jet stream that helps, or hinders, your flight getting in on time. These winds are literally at the boundary of space and flow at a couple hundred kilometers per hour. From a NASA press release:

“This area shows winds much larger than expected,” says Miguel Larsen, a space scientist at Clemson University who is the principal investigator for these five rockets, known as the Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX). “We don’t yet know what we’re going to see, but there is definitely something unusual going on. ATREX will help us understand the big question about what is driving these fast winds.”

The spread of the tracer clouds will be tracked by cameras in North Carolina, on the Outer-Banks, and in New Jersey. NASA points out that the tracer being used is a combination of chemicals that occur naturally in the atmosphere and pose no risk to the general public or environment. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility, part of the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, is located on the Virginia coast on the Delmarva peninsula near the Maryland boarder. It is a site with a long history of launch campaigns including test launches from the Mercury program, countless sounding rockets, and soon, rockets capable of servicing the ISS and even a launch to the Moon with the LADEE mission. The facility is also responsible for NASA sounding rocket launches and balloon payload launches around the world. If you’re in the area and you can keep track of the launch windows, this would be a great burst of launches to see!

SOURCE: WIRED

Mar 19, 2012 1:44pm

Aerial Light Show With 5 Rockets in 5 Minutes

NASA's rocket launches are expected to leave contrails like this, useful for study of the upper atmosphere. NASA image.

East coasters between South Carolina and New England have a unique skywatching opportunity Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, as NASA launches five rockets in just over five minutes.

Even if you’re not in the viewing area, you can still watch the launch webcast by clicking here Tuesday night.

As they blast skyward from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s eastern shore, the rockets will release chemicals to create glowing tracer clouds designed to be seen from the ground. The clouds will be visible for about 20 minutes.

The launch window is between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time, so you’ll have to stay up late or get up really early to see it. This map shows the expected viewing area and the clouds will look something like this. Special cameras in New Jersey and North Carolina will watch the clouds to gauge wind direction and speed.

It’s all part of NASA’s $4 million ATREX mission, short for Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment. They’ve got a handy video explainer here.

The point of ATREX is to study ultra high-altitude jet stream winds found roughly 60 to 65 miles above the surface of the Earth, at the edge of space. (These are not the same jet stream winds that get all the attention in weather forecasts, NASA says.)

Researchers hope to learn more about how these winds might affect future high-altitude or low-orbit missions, especially since they can travel at speeds around 200 to 300 miles per hour.

And mariners, beware. If you’re planning a late-night cruise off the eastern seaboard, check this map to see where the rockets are coming down, or keep one eye on the sky.

The mission requires clear skies to launch, and NASA says it will decide Monday night if it looks like the mission is a “go.”

SOURCE: ABC NEWS

---------------END UPDATE-------------------
Five rockets are being launched by NASA to do some weather testing. 


They are being launched from an interesting and different location, Virginia. 


These rockets have chemical tracers that test the high altitude jet stream, which is still a mystery. 


To some, this has turned into a conspiracy. Some have turned this into something that makes it seem that these rockets are being launched for the purpose of taking on some meteor or asteroid. 


You can judge for yourself what they are being launched for with the information I am providing below. 


I'll first give you the person that has turned this into a conspiracy. 


Following that, I'll give you the documentation that NASA gives and other supporting information. 


As for me, I don't believe that this is a conspiracy.


I think that the rockets are deliberately being launched from these locations because of the testing of the current jet stream activity. 


The following is from the video poster: 

Uploaded by dutchsinse 
Mar 16, 2012 

For the record.. these aren't space shuttle launches.. they're supposed to be used for "weather studies"... nonetheless they will produce visible streams of steam/smoke all along the east coast. We're NOT talking bruce willis in a modified space ship going to shoot down an anomalous object... lol  

Here is the direct link: NASA launching 5 rockets from VIRGINIA (north east coast USA). http://www.space.com/14939-nasa-5-rocket-launches-saturday-night.html hmm..  

ATREX stands for Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment ... Also I see another possible acronym... a T-rex ... as in dinosaurs... Which leads me to being suspicious of ANY 5 rocket launches from a very different location, with a real title incorporation of the words "anomalous and transport and rocket"... Tongue in cheek here .. could it be TRANSPORTING an ANOMALOUS OBJECT with a ROCKET.... ie.. move an asteroid or space object like this past years out of control phobos grunt satellite?  

I suppose the picture background on space.com might be influencing my suspicions ...lol.. planetary impact an all.. I will post any launch links that become available on Sunday when this goes down. Cheers, and MUCH LOVE during strange times!  

==dutch==

NASA Launching 5 Rockets in 5 Minutes in Monday Night Sky Show
by Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer
Date: 16 March 2012 Time: 02:44 PM ET

This map shows the projected area where the five ATREX rockets should be visible after launch. 

This map of the United States' mid-Atlantic region shows the flight profile of NASA's five ATREX rockets, as well as the projected area where they may be visible after launch on March 14, 2012.  

The rockets' chemical tracers, meanwhile, should be visible from South Carolina through much of New England. 

UPDATE: NASA has delayed the launch of the five-rocket ATREX mission until Monday night due to unfavorable weather conditions.  

This story was updated Sunday, March 18, to reflect the latest launch target. 
After a four-day delay, NASA is planning to fire off five rockets in just over five minutes late Monday (March 19) for a mission that, if all goes well, will create glowing clouds to probe mysterious, fast-moving winds at the edge of space. 

The five-rocket salvo, which is scheduled to launch Sunday night from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, forms the core of the agency's Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment, or ATREX.  

The unmanned rockets will release chemical tracers at about 60 miles (97 kilometers) up, allowing scientists to track high-altitude winds that can top 300 mph (483 kph).

These tracers will generate luminous milky-white clouds that should be visible to folks on the ground from parts of South Carolina up through southern New England, researchers have said.

Source:SPACE.COM


NASA Launching 5 Rockets to Light Up US East Coast Sky Tonight
by Joe Rao, SPACE.com
Skywatching Columnist Date: 14 March 2012

Time: 12:01 PM ET The red dots over the water show where the five rockets of NASA's ATREX mission will deploy chemical tracers to watch how super-fast winds move some 60 miles up in the atmosphere. Three cameras at different sites will track the cloud tracers. CREDIT: NASA/Larsen A quintuple rocket launch promises to put on a spectacular, but brief, overnight light show of luminescent vapor trails in the skies above the U.S. East Coast tonight, weather permitting. 

The sky display may puzzle and amaze some unsuspecting observers, so before you make that phone call to your local news or police, here is why this is happening and when you may see it.  

The bright phenomenon will be caused by NASA's Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment(ATREX), which will launch five chemical-bearing suborbital rockets in about five minutes to test the flow of winds and electrical currents at high altitudes.  

The rockets will blast off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., on the Atlantic coast during a window that opens tonight at midnight EDT (0400 GMT) and closes at 1:30 a.m. EDT Thursday (0530 GMT).  

 As part of the mission, the five rockets will each release a chemical tracer that should inscribe brilliant milky white trails in the nighttime sky and allow scientists and the general public to actually "see" high-altitude winds at the edge of space, according to a NASA description. 

  This map shows the projected area in which the chemical tracers released by the ATREX rockets may be visible to the public.  

The clouds formed by the chemical tracers may be visible from the North Carolina/South Carolina border up to southern Vermont and New Hampshire and west to central West Virginia.  

Viewing is dependent on lighting in the area in which you are viewing, cloud cover and also the trajectory of the rocket.  

CREDIT: NASA/Wallops  

Midnight launch lights If all goes well, NASA intends to photograph the trails from three different sites: Wallops Island, southern New Jersey and the outer banks of North Carolina. 

Should weather conditions be unfavorable, the firings will be delayed to another night, with alternate launch dates available between March 16 and April 3. 

Source:SPACE.COM 


NASA Five Rocket ATREX Mission Moved to March 20 


By NASA 
Published: Sunday, Mar. 18, 2012 - 4:23 pm 
WALLOPS ISLAND, Va., March 18, 2012 

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.  

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

Source:SACBEE.COM


Radio glitch delays five-rocket launch extravaganza
NASA's suborbital barrage postponed until Friday at earliest due to malfunction

By Tariq Malik

updated 3/14/2012 7:24:29 PM ET

A radio system glitch on one of five small rockets aimed at the edge of space has forced NASA to postpone a barrage of launches that promised to dazzle East Coast skywatchers with glowing midnight clouds. 
The malfunction was detected as scientists prepared f 

or the late-night launch rocket launches, which were scheduled to blast off within about five minutes of one another at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.  

The launches were due to go off on Thursday just after midnight ET.  

"We scrubbed for tonight, and our next attempt will be no earlier than Friday night, March 16," NASA spokesman Keith Koehler told Space.com from the Wallops launch site on the Atlantic coast.  

An internal radio frequency interference problem with one of the payloads on the rockets caused the launch delay, Koehler said. Mission scientists will meet Thursday to discuss the problem as well as study weather reports for Friday's potential launch attempt, he added.  

The five rockets form the core of NASA's Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX), a $4 million program to study the high-altitude jet stream of wind that blows at speeds of 300 mph (483 kilometers per hour) at heights of between 60 and 65 miles (97 to 105 kilometers) above Earth.  

Theories have suggested that these high-altitude winds should only reach speeds of up to 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour).  

The edge of space is commonly set at 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth. 
To study the jet stream mystery, NASA scientists have loaded each ATREX rocket with a chemical tracer known as trimethyl aluminum.  

The experiment is designed to spray the material into the jet stream so observers on Earth can map the winds.  

That chemical tracer is expected to be seen as glowing, milky white clouds visible to skywatchers along major stretches of the U.S. East Coast, running from southern Vermont and New Hampshire to the border of North and South Carolina. 

Koehler said that NASA's next window to launch the ATREX rockets stretches from March 16 to April 3.  

If the radio interference issue is solved, but the weather does not cooperate on Friday, the agency will reconvene for a potential weekend liftoff or plan for another launch try next week, he added. 

"Next week is supposed to be really nice," Koehler said.

Source: MSNBC