Two NASA rocket missions are set to explore the mysteries of auroras, aiming to uncover why they flicker, pulsate, or feature dark patches. These rockets, part of NASA’s effort to understand Earth’s space environment, will launch from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, starting January 21, 2025. The findings could contribute to protecting astronauts and spacecraft from the impacts of space weather, as auroras are closely tied to the planet’s magnetosphere and charged particles from space. GIRAFF Mission to Investigate Pulsating Auroras According to the Ground Imaging to Rocket Investigation of Auroral Fast Features (GIRAFF) mission, two rockets equipped with identical instruments will target specific aurora subtypes. One rocket will focus on fast-pulsating auroras, flashing a few times per second, while the other will study flickering auroras, which blink up to 15 times per second. As reported by an official press release by NASA, as per Robert Michell, a space physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and principal investigator of the GIRAFF mission, the data collected will analyse energy levels, electron quantities, and …