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DUST - Update - March 9, 2005

We are now switched over to counting for the 2 small mesospheric rockets that will also be launched this season. These two rockets are much smaller and simpler, and are meant to reach an altitude of 105 km to study the suspended dust layer in the mesosphere left by burnt-up meteors. These launches will be done together with using the UAF/GI lidar system. The rockets are very small, though, and very sensitive to winds. Also, for the mesospheric study, we need to have little to no aurora. So, of course, for the first night of the dust window, we had high winds and strong aurora. We'll try again tomorrow night.

We hope to get these two off either Wednesday or Thursday night, as this Friday and Saturday night the local Chatanika Lodge has its large winter festival, the "Outhouse Races", and we are shut down from launching those two nights.