First rocket of 2026 takes flight at Poker Flat

By Rod Boyce-Geophysical Institute, on Feb 2, 2026   Featured, Science/Education  

A two-stage NASA sounding rocket shot skyward from Poker Flat Research Range at 4:20 a.m. Friday as part of a long-running project to learn more about aurora-produced nitric oxide in the upper atmosphere. Nitric oxide, a gas, can travel to lower atmospheric levels, where it can damage Earth’s protective ozone layer. The Polar Night Nitric […]