T0046-S Polar Mesospheric Cloud Imaging and Tomography Experiment

Program start date is on hold until Space Act Agreement is signed.  Placeholder date of January 2014 is used as placeholder.

The objective of this flight experiment is to observe and analyze, for the first time, stabilized imagery of very high resolution in proximity to Polar Mesospheric cloud (PMC) layers. These clouds are of special interest as they are sensitive to both global climate change and to solar/terrestrial influences (i.e., the coupling between the heliosphere and the Earth's atmosphere). They are the highest clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere, 83 km (50 miles), near the edge of space, and are observed slightly below the mesopause in the polar summertime.