Generation of an Artificial Aurora

摘要: On 26 January 1969 an Aerobee 350 rocket was fired from Wallops Island, Virginia, carrying electron accelerator. Above 230 kilometers the guns put out a beam of 0.5 ampere 10 kev electrons in pulses 1-second duration aimed downward along earth's magnetic field lines. The interaction with atmosphere at altitude about 100 generated enough light so that auroral rays produced could be photographed on ground by television camera systems.