NASA is creating clouds globally: find out why

In early November, NASA created artificial clouds over Norway for scientific purposes and without any danger. This is not a first for the space agency. What will their next experience be?

A Norwegian sky dotted with artificial clouds

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently produced clouds over Norway. This practice, which may seem unusual, is in fact common for the American space agency and is carried out with the aim ofdeepen scientific knowledge.

A phenomenon without danger for the environment

To create these clouds, NASA uses probes equipped with different chemicals, including Tri-methyl aluminum (TMA). These compounds produce a kind of luminescence in this “artificial vapor”. These substances, according to NASA, are “ absolutely harmless to the environment or life on Earth« .

“The vapors used as tracers are metals much more commonly used in common fireworks. Tracer materials, such as barium, lithium and aluminum compounds, are used to make fireworks colorful and to provide intense light shows. A typical tracer payload releases about a pound of material. A typical firework releases several times this amount and is much closer to the ground. »

NASA

Scientific objective: understand atmospheric movements

The creation of these artificial clouds has a specific objective: study certain movements in the upper atmosphere. Like dye poured into a stream to study the direction of the current, these colorful clouds allow scientists to precisely track atmospheric movements.

NASA states: “Scientists seek to understand these movements because they represent fundamental knowledge of Earth's near-space environment. The movement of neutral and ionized gases reveals how mass and energy are transported from one region to another. These movements also respond to changes in solar activity.”

A common practice for NASA

Creating artificial clouds is standard practice for NASA. These experiments are carried out around the world, depending on the needs of current research. For the moment, no launch is planned from or over France.