Article
Article
Rocket astronomy
Article By:
Cirtain, Jonathan Marshall Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Huntsville, Alabama.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.592400
The discipline that makes use of sounding rockets (Fig. 1) that fly near-vertical paths carrying scientific instruments to altitudes ranging from 40 to more than 1500 km (25–900 mi). Altitudes up to 48 km (30 mi) can be reached by balloons, so sounding rockets are typically used for higher altitudes in order to measure sources that do not penetrate the Earth's atmosphere with telescopes, or particles and fields in space with in situ observations. Sounding rockets do not achieve escape velocity; after completion of the launch phase, the payload follows a ballistic trajectory that permits 5–15 min of data taking before reentry. See also: Rocket
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
