March 28, 2024

On This Day in Space! Jan. 17, 1985: Final Aerobee sounding rocket launched

Aerobee rockets were the very first sounding rockets that the U.S. released to research Earths upper atmosphere. The small, suborbital rockets determined things like temperature, radiation, ozone.the and pressure very first Aerobee sounding rocket introduced on Nov. 24, 1947 under a project led by the U.S. Navy. This rocket stood about 30 feet high and might fly to an elevation of 170 miles with payloads weighing up to 150 pounds.