Two Black Brant XII Sounding Rockets were launched from Andoya Rocket Range, Norway on Decmeber 10, 2007 as part of the Twin Rockets to Investigate Cusp Electrodynamics (TRICE) mission. The first vehicle, 40.018 UE was launched at 09:00:00 Z and the second two minutes later at 09:02:00. The Principal Investigator for the the TRICE mission is Dr. Craig Kletzing from University of Iowa. Photo above right: Image of tthe first Kletzing vehicle launching from Andoya Rocket Range. Photo credit: Scott Hesh/NSROC.
NEW! Mission Planning lab post-flight simulation of the TRICE mission.

Sounding rockets are the only means of fulfilling the requirements of the Twin Rockets to Investigate Cusp Electrodynamics (TRICE) mission. To study reconnection of magnetic fields, this unique mission requires two identically instrumented rockets to fly near the same magnetic field line, separated in time by four minutes, and in altitude by 750 km.

Magnetic reconnection is of interest in varying science topics; from nuclear fusion studies on Earth to astrophysics. Reconnection in the Earth’s near space environment occurs when Earth’s magnetic field lines, normally stretched from the Northern to the Southern hemisphere, are broken and reconnect to the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). The cusp is the region where the Earth's magnetic field lines are most recently connected to the solar wind and plasma can directly enter the magnetosphere. By flying two rockets at various separations in both space and time through the cusp region, the signatures of a spatially varying vs temporally varying reconnection event can be distinguished.

The TRICE Science team includes: Principal Investigator Dr. Craig Kletzing/Univ of Iowa Co-Investigators: Dr. Scott Bounds/Univ of Iowa, Dr. Jim LaBelle/Dartmouth College, Dr. James Clemmons/Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Rob Pfaff/NASA Goddard, Dr. Manfred Boehm/West Virginia University

References:
University of Iowa, TRICE Science Package.