Satellite explores edge of earth

kourou - An American satellite was launched on Thursday to investigate the edge of the atmosphere, the outer shell of the earth. There, more than a hundred kilometers above our heads, the atmosphere slowly merges into the infinity of the universe.

That transition zone is constantly influenced by particles from the sun and by the magnetic field of the earth, but also by the earthy weather below. It is known that hurricanes and tsunamis can also be seen at high altitude.

The international space station ISS, navigation satellites and telecom satellites revolve around the earth in that transition area. They sometimes suffer from disruptions, but so far it is actually not known what exactly is happening and how that affects. To find that out, the satellite GOLD has been developed.

GOLD, which is about the size of a mini-bar, is constantly looking at our atmosphere from 35,000 kilometers away. Among other things, he can measure how warm it is, how thin the air is at an extremely high altitude, what the atmosphere is composed of and how it all changes.

The launch took place from the European space base Kourou in French Guiana.