What goes up must come down!

What goes up must come down!. . , UAF's Poker Flat Research Range has participated in a NASA program since 1969 that uses sounding rockets to collect information about the Sun, stars, galaxies and Earth's atmosphere and ionosphere. Sounding rockets are also used to develop and test satellite and spacecraft instruments before they are flown on larger, more complex satellites. Sounding rockets take their name from the nautical term "to sound," which means to take measurements., During the roughly 8 to 20 minutes the rockets are in flight, researchers collect scientific data and conduct experiments using state-of-the-art instruments. After the solid rocket motor burns all its fuel, it separates from the payload which then begins to collect data for the experimenters. Both the payload and rocket motors fall back to Earth., On many missions, after the payload has re-entered the atmosphere, it is brought gently back to Earth by a parachute and then retrieved. A recovered payload can be refurbished and flown again, which results in tremendous savings in both time and money. To help maintain the pristine environment of Alaska, UAF and NASA work hard to recover all hardware through an active search and recovery program., RIGHT TOP [photo caption reads] The NASA, Poker Flat and science teams work to prepare the mission in heated buildings. When the rocket is ready, the building is pulled back and the rocket is pointed north. PFRR has five launchers and has launched as many as five rockets within five minutes., RIGHT BOTTOM [photo caption reads] The flight of a sounding rocket is suborbital; it looks like a massive U-turn from Earth to space and back., NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration contracts with the UAF Geophysical Institute's Poker Flat Research Range to launch sounding rockets.