Home
Updates
Documents
Data
Links
Photos
January 16th, 2008
SCIFER 2 (Sounding of the Cleft Ion Fountain Energization Region Two)
Wednesday January 16, 2008 Update
This is fourteenth update for SCIFER 2 collaborators and friends participating in the SCIFER 2 campaign. If you do not wish to be included in these emails, please ask to be removed from future mailings
Breaking news:
The fourteenth window for SCIFER 2 was opened at 0500 UT. The rocket was OUT for winds for the entire window. Early in the window several transitory electron heating and outflow events were observed corresponding to solar wind transitions with each event lasting about 10-15 min. The KHO Observatory has made a new all sky camera that allows to operate with the moon up and in early twilight. Even though the rocket could not be launched we saw good science conditions at about 0925 UT, made the decision to launch which would have been at 0933 UT and the (pretend) rocket hit an excellent event. The window was closed 0950 UT. Science station time is 0230 UT (0330 Norway time) at UNIS IPY room. A decision will be made whether to stay in town or to proceed to the KHO Auroral Observatory. The forecast tomorrow is for -5 C snow and windy.
Local color: Our special guest, Her Majesty the Queen, cancelled at the last moment so we did not see her yesterday. We have to use the 'band' wagon again to reach the KHO auroral observatory and the visibility was so poor this morning we were required to use the 'band' wagon equipped with GPS to find the auroral station. They have two band wagons and the one with GPS with recently repaired from having water in its fuel line. Our colleagues from Sweden got their truck stuck in a snow drift near the EISCAT radar. Our picture of the day show us trying (unsuccessfully) to jump start our car which failed us two days ago.
Space Weather Conditions
The space weather conditions were improved today with. The solar wind velocity was slowly decreasing from 500 km/s to 450 km/s but the density increased from 1/cm^3 to (/cm^3 while the magnetic field was 5-6 nT. The STEREO B satellite indicates that the solar wind will be variable tomorrow.
Current Weather Conditions:
Longyearbyen: Temperature -3.8 C with snow and sleet. Average winds are 35 mph gusting to 50 mph.
Rocket/Payload status: The payload is mounted on the launcher and is operating nominally. The payload was in the vertical position and nominal for the window today.
Phone numbers for science launch operations
Backup Science Center at UNIS, Longyearbyen 79 02 64 48
KHO Auroral Observatory 79 02 64 70 or 71
EISCAT 79 02 12 36
CUTLASS Ops 44-116-252-3520