Nasa to investigate 'ice clouds'
The clouds are being seen at increasingly low altitudes
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Thursday, 12, Apr 2007 06:28
Nasa is preparing a new mission to investigate the formation of mysterious ice clouds 50 miles above the Earth's surface.
The clouds dot the edge of space across the planet's polar regions but have become steadily more prevalent in recent years. Scientists want to determine whether climate change is playing a role in the change.
Situated in the Earth's mesosphere, the ice clouds are being seen at increasingly lower altitudes, as well as becoming brighter.
Nasa hopes to launch the Aeronomy of Ice in Mesosphere (Aim) spacecraft on April 25th from the California Vandenberg Air Force Base.
"These clouds are indicators of conditions in the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere, and are an important link in the chain of processes that result in the deposition of solar energy into Earth's atmosphere," explained Mary Mellott, Aim programme scientist at Nasa's Washington headquarters.
"Aim will provide an understanding of how and why these clouds form, an important contribution toward the Nasa goals of understanding the fundamental physical processes of our space environment and how the habitability of planets is affected by the interaction of planetary magnetic fields and atmospheres with solar variability."