Bright Artificial Clouds from NASA Rocket Visible from US East Coast Early Saturday

Joe Rao Space.com Skywatching Columnist
Updated

Editor's note: NASA has delayed the sounding rocket launch to Saturday, June 3, at 4:26 a.m. EDT (0826 GMT) due to cloud cover, preventing camera observation of the launch. NASA intends to launch a sounding rocket from its Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia, currently planned for very early Thursday morning (June 1). These conspicuous glows will be human-made features: clouds of barium, strontium and cupric-oxide vapor released by a two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket.