Introduction to the Special Issue on Sounding Rockets and Instrumentation

Abstract

Rocket technology, originally developed for military applications, has provided a low-cost observing platform to carry critical and rapid-response scientific investigations for over 70 years. Even with the development of launch vehicles that could put satellites into orbit, high altitude sounding rockets have remained relevant. In addition to science observations, sounding rockets provide a unique technology test platform and a valuable training ground for scientists and engineers. Most importantly, sounding rockets remain the only way to explore the tenuous regions of the Earth’s atmosphere (the upper stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower ionosphere/thermosphere) above balloon altitudes ([Formula: see text]40[Formula: see text]km) and below satellite orbits ([Formula: see text]160[Formula: see text]km). They can lift remote sensing telescope payloads with masses up to 400[Formula: see text]kg to altitudes of 350[Formula: see text]km providing observing times of up to 6[Formula: see text]min above the blocking influence of Earth’s atmosphere. Though a number of sounding rocket research programs exist around the world, this article focuses on the NASA Sounding Rocket Program, and particularly on the astrophysical and solar sounding rocket payloads.