[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Stormy Night For Astrobiologists Studying Leonid Meteors

Kathleen Burton		Nov. 18, 1999
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
(Phone: 650/604-1731, 650/604-9000)  kburton@mail.arc.nasa.gov

Laura Lewis
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
(Phone:  650/604-2162, 650/604-9000)  llewis@mail.arc.nasa.gov

RELEASE:  99-77
STORMY NIGHT FOR ASTROBIOLOGISTS STUDYING LEONID METEORS

Astrobiologists on a NASA mission to study the Leonid meteors were in the
right place at the right time to study a rare natural phenomenon -- a
meteor storm.

At the peak of the storm, which occurred at 02:10 GMT, Nov. 18, the Leonid
meteors were falling from the sky at a rate of 2,200 per hour.  A
meteor shower is classified as a storm when the rate exceeds 1,000 meteors
per hour.

"It's getting to the point where we can't click fast enough to keep up with
the meteors!" exclaimed Dave Holman of the California Meteor Society, one of
several amateur astronomers on the meteor-counting team.  A total of 15,251
meteors were counted during the six-hour observation period on the
overnight flight from Israel to the Azores.

"That's a lot of meteors!" said Chris Crawford, the amateur astronomer
responsible for compiling the data collected from each person counting the
meteors.  "I've seen just about as many meteors in one night as I've seen in
over 34 years of meteor watching."

Near real-time data on the number of meteors falling per hour was provided
to NASA and the U.S. Air Force by a team of amateur astronomers who counted
the meteors using virtual reality goggles and laptop computers.  The meteor
counting team was aboard the ARIA, one of two aircraft provided by the
United States Air Force to support this mission.  The data was sent from the
ARIA, an EC-18 aircraft, to the ground via the TDRS satellite system.  NASA
and the Air Force are joint sponsors of the Leonid Multi-instrument
Airborne Campaign.

"I am ecstatic over how well this night went!" said Peter Jenneskins, chief
scientist for the Leonid mission.  "Our models proved to be right on for
predicting where and when the meteor storm would take place. We gathered
some fantastic images, and the data obtained should provide valuable
insight into the role meteors may have played in the evolution of life on
Earth."

While viewing the horizon at one point during the storm, meteors, lightning
and sprites could be seen from the planes.  Sprites are lightning phenomena
that rise from the ground to the sky.  "For 10 minutes we had a view of the
way the sky may have looked on Earth over 4 million years ago," Jenneskins
said.  "It was an awesome sight."

The second observing night of the Leonid astrobiology mission began when
the ARIA and FISTA aircraft left Tel Aviv at about 23:00 GMT, Nov. 18.  The
flight crew of the ARIA reported seeing two meteors almost as soon as the
wheels left the ground.  Once the planes reached altitude, they began
flying in 150 nautical mile flying patterns from east to west over Israel
and the
Mediterranean.  These orbits provided a unique opportunity for scientists on
the planes and scientists on the ground to collaborate.  The data collected
from the planes will be combined with visual, radar and radio observation
data from Israeli scientists on the ground to form an extremely
comprehensive data set regarding the Leonid meteors.

The aircraft stopped the orbits after one hour and continued westbound
towards the Azores, flying approximately 80-100 nautical miles apart at
37,000 feet.  ARIA's path flew the scientists off the coast of Crete and
over Sicily, while FISTA's path flew over mainland Greece and the boot of
Italy.  ARIA then flew over the top of Menorca and Majorca, crossed central
Spain by Madrid, and continued over the top of Portugal down to the Azores.
FISTA flew over Sardinia and Barcelona and out the northwest corner of
Spain, and then down to the Azores.  The planes landed at Lajes Airbase in
the Azores at approximately 07:15 GMT, Nov. 18.

While over Spain and Portugal, scientists on the aircraft performed
coordinated observations with a series of ground based observing teams.

"The coordinated air and ground observations that were conducted during the
flight are an invaluable part of this highly successful mission," stated
Col. S. Pete Worden, of the United States Air Force headquarters,
Washington, D.C.  "Not only do we have a phenomenal set of data from the
air, but we also have complimentary data from the ground that can be used
to help us better understand and predict meteor storms and the impact they
may have on space operations."  Col. Worden flew aboard the ARIA aircraft
from Tel Aviv to the Azores.  The Air Force operates more than 100
satellites that could be affected by a meteor storm.

It takes the Earth a few days to get through the debris trail left by the
periodic comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle that produces the Leonid meteors.
Therefore, one more observation night is scheduled during a flight from the
Azores to Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.

The scientists and crew aboard the ARIA and FISTA are not the only people
able to see the Leonid meteors from the unique vantage-point of an
airplane.  Live video from the plane is being sent to the internet during
the mission for people on the ground to watch. For current information
about the Leonid Multi-instrument Airborne Campaign visit:

http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/

-end-

----------
Archives located at:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html

For help, FAQ's and sub. info. visit:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
----------