NASA Launches SNIFS Rocket: Unlocking the Sun's Chromosphere Secrets

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00:00 - Intro
00:16 - NASA Launches SNIFS Rocket: Unlocking the Sun's Chromosphere Secrets
01:58 - NASA Launches Rocket for CU Boulder Space Science Mission
07:38 - NASA SNIFS Mission: Sun's Chromosphere Secrets Revealed

1. NASA Launches SNIFS Rocket: Unlocking the Sun's Chromosphere Secrets

NASA's groundbreaking SNIFS mission launched July 18, 2025, aboard a Black Brant IX sounding rocket from New Mexico. This historic mission targets the sun's chromosphere - the dynamic atmospheric layer between the visible surface and the million-degree corona.

SNIFS (Solar EruptioN Integral Field Spectrograph) is the first ultraviolet instrument to capture real-time 3D data of this mysterious solar region. Using innovative mirrorlet array technology, it creates a full 2D field view with spectral analysis for every pixel, focusing on the hydrogen Lyman-alpha ultraviolet line.

Discover how this mission helps scientists solve the corona heating mystery by measuring chromospheric temperatures, velocities, and plasma densities. The chromosphere's extreme conditions range from 6,000°C to over 1,000,000°C and generate solar flares and plasma jets.

Learn how international teams from NASA Goddard, University of Colorado, and Queen's University Belfast collaborate on this cutting-edge heliophysics research to understand energy transfer in our star's atmosphere.

2. NASA Launches Rocket for CU Boulder Space Science Mission

NASA and the University of Colorado Boulder are launching a 60-foot rocket to study the sun.
The rocket will carry the SNIFS payload, a new UV spectrograph designed to capture pictures of the sun and separate incoming light by its wavelength.
The mission aims to increase knowledge of the sun, particularly solar spicules, and develop new spectrograph technology.
The launch is part of a larger effort to understand the sun's outer atmosphere and its impact on space weather.
The data collected will help scientists better understand the sun's behavior and improve predictions of solar storms.
The mission also involves training the next generation of scientists and aerospace engineers.

3. NASA SNIFS Mission: Sun's Chromosphere Secrets Revealed

NASA launches the Solar Eruption Integral Field Spectrograph (SNIFS) mission aboard a Black Brant IX sounding rocket to study the Sun's chromosphere. Targeting July 18, 2025, from White Sands Missile Range, this mission explores energy dynamics in one of the Sun's most mysterious atmospheric layers.

Discover how SNIFS investigates the chromosphere between the photosphere and corona. Principal investigator Dr. Phillip Chamberlin explains why this region remains poorly understood despite decades of solar research.

Get mission details: Launch window dates, scientific objectives, and how SNIFS could revolutionize our understanding of solar activity. Includes expert commentary on the mission's potential impact on heliophysics research.