New Mars Forums

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010802.html]These

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990616.html]are

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951112.html]really

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951111.html]funky

*I'm always on the look-out for more info about them.  Columbia had collected some information about these phenomena...and then of course the tragedy. 

Imagine discharges ABOVE the thunderstorms -- from 30 to 90 km high!  Incredible. 

--Cindy

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

EarthWolf

Member

From: Missouri, U.S.A.

Registered: 2004-07-20

Posts: 59

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

Hello,

Awesome.

Cordially,

EarthWolf

---

" Man will not always stay on the Earth. "

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

Awesome.

*Hi EarthWolf.  Yep. 

http://www.rps.psu.edu/sep97/sprites.html]Read me

Brief article.  Apparently "Sprite" and "Elves" are acronyms for these phenomena.  Hmmmmm. 

-*-

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/p … 08.html]It -does- look like fireworks! 

Too bad it's not in color. 

--Cindy

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

EarthWolf

Member

From: Missouri, U.S.A.

Registered: 2004-07-20

Posts: 59

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

Hello,

That video feed of those sprites looked spooky. They looked like a group of people. Alas, it wasn't in color. Thanks for the links, they were informative.

Cordially,

EarthWolf

---

" Man will not always stay on the Earth. "

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.htm … 36]January 20, 2003:  Columbia and "TIGER"

*Transient Ionospheric Glow Emission in Red.  Observed by the (now deceased, rest in peace) Columbia shuttle crew when south of Madagascar. 

...may be a new type of transient luminous event, like lightning sprites, but one that is not necessarily caused by a thunderstorm.

Intriguing.  :up:

--Cindy

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnatu … tml]Update:  Mystery solved?

*Mentions the division into to camps among scientists:  This phenomenon caused by t-storms or meteoric dust/gravity waves in upper atmosphere?

Also relates how scientists figured pilots were "crazy" until confirmed from one of the shuttles and photographed.

Most phenomenon observed over midwestern U.S. (technology capability), but has also been observed "just about everywhere" -- Italy, Africa, Japan, etc.

Teams led by Steven Cummer of Duke University and Walter Lyons of FMA Research, Inc. have found evidence that sprites form during major lightning strikes. They gathered data on thunderstorms from across the United States during the summer of 2000, and showed that high intensity lightning charges are the key ingredient in sprite formation. The results were released yesterday.

"To make a sprite, you definitely need a strong electric field high above the thunderstorm," Cummer told LiveScience.

Discusses another mystery within -- relative to positively-charged lightning and negatively-charged lighting.

--Cindy

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

ESA plans study of Sprites & Elves

*Some of these babies might actually reach the border between our atmosphere and outer space.    Discusses ESA's plans for special cameras to further investigate these phenomena.

Questions raised as to whether Sprites and Elves have an impact upon ozone depletion and other climate changes.

--Cindy

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

publiusr

Banned

From: Alabama

Registered: 2005-02-24

Posts: 682

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

One more reason to wonder about Space Elevators.

Sir, as soon as the Space Elevator touched ground, the whole global electrical circuit discharged itself. The tethers gone, the platforms gone, and everybody within 50 miles fell over dead with a heart attack--but I have good news

You saved money on your car insurance?

No--my car a diesel--is the only one that works--see ya!

DonPanic

Member

From: Paris in Astrolia

Registered: 2004-02-13

Posts: 595

Website

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

LO Palomar
You know what ?
I've been expelled from a self-pretending Astronomy forum because I talked about sprites and elves, and the forum admin, an ignorant, thought these were fakes.
I've been even accused to have done by myself faked NASA and /edu web pages.
I treated this admin of "big tutborn moron", so...

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

LO Palomar
You know what ?
I've been expelled from a self-pretending Astronomy forum because I talked about sprites and elves, and the forum admin, an ignorant, thought they were fakes.
I've been even accused to have done by myself faked NASA and /edu web pages

*Sorry to know it.  The research and science into these phenomena is documented at various credible sources -- both in print and on the 'net.

--Cindy

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

While the station has still yet to prove its worth for the costruction and loss of life costs it has the ability if used to be more.

A Space Station View On Giant Lightning

Lighting sprites and elevation chart for event occurance

Do giant flashes of lightning striking upwards from thunder clouds merely pose an extraordinarily spectacular view? Or do they actually alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere, playing a role in ozone depletion and the climate on Earth?

Could this also be needed for a safe space elevator construction?

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: ~* Sprites ~*

LOCKHEED MARTIN SUBMITS PROPOSAL FOR GOES-R GEOSTATIONARY LIGHTNING MAPPER to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center a formulation phase study proposal for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument that will fly on the GOES-R Series environmental satellites. GLM's ability to monitor convection on a global scale via lightning will provide new insight into the formation, distribution, morphology and evolution of storms, and allows investigation into the mechanisms at the core of the global water and energy cycle.

The observation of lightning by GLM will provide a ubiquitous means of penetrating cloud tops and detecting convective activity continuously over whole continents and adjacent oceans. This lightning characteristic of clouds is inadequately measured, both temporally and spatially, by current observing systems

Much like everything else that Nasa does do, Is this an immediate need or can its funding be streched out over many years? Can we do this if the specialized instruments were brought to the ISS instead?