Thermospheric Density and Wind Profiles During an Auroral Substorm from the Dissipation Sounding Rocket Mission

The Dissipation sounding rocket launched from Poker Flat, AK on November 8, 2023, during an auroral substorm to study thermospheric upwelling due to Joule heating. The mission will answer questions regarding the thermospheric wind, density and composition dynamics and structures as a function of altitude driven by Joule heating during a substorm. This presentation will include preliminary neutral density profiles from the 5 Ionization Gauges (IG) on the payload to understand the vertical distribution of neutral particles. The NRL MSIS model will be compared to these measurements. Preliminary in-situ thermospheric winds profiles from the IG measurements will also be presented in the context of the Dissipation science goals.