#NASA #space #EUSO #SuperPressureBalloon #cosmicRays #Atmosphere #UVfluorescence

NASA on it’s third attempt, successfully launched its super pressure balloon from New Zealand as the weather conditions were appropriate. The balloon is almost the size of a football stadium, having a volume of 532,000 cubic-meters, and carries a suspended payload of 2,495 kgs.

The mission that will run for 100 days or more, will help detect cosmic rays from beyond our galaxy as they penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere. Flying at an altitude of 33.5 km in the Southern Hemisphere, the balloon will observe the Earth’s atmosphere to detect UV fluorescence that are created when high-energy cosmic rays interact with the nitrogen molecules in the air.

Once the mission is completed successfully, the main objective of EUSO project, Extreme Universe Space Observatory, is to fly from an even higher altitude on the International Space Station to observe a greater atmospheric area for detecting high-energy cosmic rays.

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Such scientific studies are the initial steps towards discovery and innovation.