On February 17, 2007, NASA launched a quintet of satellites to figure out the science behind Earth's most colorful auroras.
The mission was titled THEMIS, which stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms. Substorms happen when Earth's magnetosphere is disrupted by solar wind, or energetic particles flowing from the sun. This causes auroras to brighten and undulate in the sky. THEMIS helped scientists understand what triggers these substorms. All five THEMIS satellites launched on the same Delta II rocket before splitting up to orbit Earth in formation.
The mission was titled THEMIS, which stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms. Substorms happen when Earth's magnetosphere is disrupted by solar wind, or energetic particles flowing from the sun. This causes auroras to brighten and undulate in the sky. THEMIS helped scientists understand what triggers these substorms. All five THEMIS satellites launched on the same Delta II rocket before splitting up to orbit Earth in formation.
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TechTranscript
00:00On this day in space.
00:04On February 17, 2007, NASA launched a quintet of satellites
00:08to figure out the science behind Earth's most colorful auroras.
00:12The mission was titled THEMIS, which stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions
00:16During Substorms. Substorms happen when Earth's magnetosphere is disrupted
00:20by solar wind or energetic particles flowing from the sun.
00:24This causes auroras to brighten and undulate in the sky.
00:28NASA scientists understand what triggers these substorms.
00:32All five THEMIS satellites launch on the same Delta II rocket before splitting up to orbit Earth in formation.
00:36And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:40NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology