2024 Workshop: Sounding Rocket Science

Sounding rockets provide a unique observational platform into difficult to probe altitudinal regimes of the ionosphere-thermosphere (IT). Coupled with complimentary ground- and spaced-based measurements, sounding rocket campaigns facilitate data, modeling, and machine learning studies that advance our understanding of the IT system. This workshop aims to highlight new science from recent launches, questions that upcoming rockets will investigate, as well as what we are still learning from the older datasets. Of special interest are the ongoing Project Mesosphere/Lower Thermosphere (M/LT) and the proposed Project CUSP Solar Max program (2025-2030), primarily taking place at the Norwegian rocket ranges of Andøya and Svalbard. These Grand Challenge Initiatives (GCI) are “follow-ons” to the highly successful GCI-Cusp campaign, led by Andøya Space of Norway, that launched 12 sounding rockets, including those provided by NASA, Norway, and Japan, from Andøya and Svalbard between Dec 2018 and Dec. 2021.
This workshop will share short presentations of ongoing research using sounding rocket campaign data and discuss possible topics for both Grand Challenge Initiative programs. Student contributions are highly encouraged.