A few residents in the D.C. area might get a bit of a shock tonight if they look up at the sky between 7 and 9 p.m. According to The Washington Post, a teal and red cloud will form about 130 miles above Earth about six minutes after the launch of NASA's sounding rocket at the Wallops Flight Facility. The reason why the cloud will be colored is due to four sub-payloads containing mixtures of barium and strontium that will be released when the rocket is deployed. NASA reported that those as North as Long Island, New York, as South as Morehead City, North Carolina, and as West as Charlottesville, Virginia should be able to get a glimpse of these chemicals. The chemicals pose no hazard, and the purpose of the launch is to test a new sub-payload ejection system. To see live coverage of the happening, check out NASA's UStream beginning at 6 p.m.
· Wednesday Rocket Launch to Be Visible Along Mid-Atlantic [NASA]
· Space Technologies Receiving Test Drive with Oct. 6 Sounding Rocket Launch [NASA]
· ASA rocket may conjure blue and red cloud over D.C., Mid-Atlantic tonight [The Washington Post]
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