Airglow Studies Via Rocket-Borne Photometers in Brazil

Abstract

Since 1985 the Brazilian National Space Research Institute (INPE), together with the Aeronautics and Space Institute (IAE), has carried out a number of rocket experiments aimed at measuring mesospheric and thermospheric airglow emissions. The photometer payloads have been launched from the Barreira do Inferno, Natal (6°S, 35°W) and Alcântara (2°S, 44°W) launch sites, on SONDA II and SONDA III rockets. The emissions measured in these experiments were O₂ 275 nm, OI 557.7 nm, Na D 589 nm, O1 630 nm, O₂ 761.9 nm, and OHI (8,3) 724.2 nm. The results of these experiments, together with simultaneous ground-based measurements by photometers, lidar, and ionospheric sounding, have been used to study excitation mechanisms and minor constituent concentrations in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. This article presents a brief review of the published results of these studies.