The Van Allen Probes, which were launched in 2012 to investigate Earth's radiation belts, uncovered mysterious phenomena that disrupt satellites and astronauts in the polar regions. These regions are home to intense zones of charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field, known as the auroral ovals.
The Arctic Charged Auroras Phenomena (ACAP) mission aims to unravel these phenomena by sending instrumented payloads to the edge of space to record electric fields and plasma waves within the auroral zone. The rockets will use a newly developed instrument called the Multi-Needle Langmuir Probe, which can measure electric fields and plasma.
The researchers hope that the data obtained by ACAP will help shed light on the enigmatic processes occurring near Earth's poles. ACAP is part of NASA's Sounding Rocket Program, which enables scientists to conduct brief investigations of the upper atmosphere and beyond using small rockets.
