Caused by winds rushing over mountain ranges or severe weather events such as hurricanes, thunderstorms, and tornadoes, atmospheric gravity waves can grow and reach all the way to space, where it interacts with space weather.
Find out more about the AWE mission and how it will help us better understand the connection between weather on Earth and weather in space.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 372816, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14464/#media_group_372816", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "
Complete transcript available.
Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "items": [ { "id": 414899, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069914, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_Thumb.png", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_Thumb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 414902, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069917, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_print.jpg", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 414903, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069918, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_searchweb.png", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 414904, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069919, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_web.png", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 414905, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069920, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_thm.png", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_YT.00001_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 414898, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069913, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_ProRes.mov", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_ProRes.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 414900, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069915, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_X.mp4", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_X.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 414901, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069916, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_YT.mp4", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_YT.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 414906, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069921, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464_AWEOverview_YT.webm", "filename": "14464_AWEOverview_YT.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 414896, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069911, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464AWEOverviewCaptions.en_US.srt", "filename": "14464AWEOverviewCaptions.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 414897, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1069912, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014464/14464AWEOverviewCaptions.en_US.vtt", "filename": "14464AWEOverviewCaptions.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Genosequence” by Alessandro Rizzo [PRS], Elliot Greenway Ireland [PRS] via Universal Production Music", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 372815, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14464/#media_group_372815", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [AWE Mission Homepage](https://science.nasa.gov/mission/awe/)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "PAO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Beth Anthony", "employer": "KBR Wyle Services, LLC" } ] }, { "role": "Writer", "people": [ { "name": "Vanessa Thomas", "employer": "KBR Wyle Services, LLC" } ] } ], "missions": [ "Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE)" ], "series": [ "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Sun" ], "keywords": [ "Airglow", "Atmosphere", "Atmospheric Pressure", "Atmospheric Radiation", "Earth Science", "Gravity Wave", "Heliophysics", "International Space Station", "Upper Atmosphere" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 14494, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14494/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) Installation", "description": "On Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. EST, installation of NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) was completed on the International Space Station.By remotely controlling the Canadarm2 robotic arm, engineers first extracted AWE from SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft a couple days after it arrived at the station on Nov. 11. Then, on Saturday, using the Canadarm2 robotic arm again, engineers completed AWE’s installation onto the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1, a platform designed to support external payloads mounted to the International Space Station.AWE is led by Ludger Scherliess at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory built the AWE instrument and provides the mission operations center.To learn more visit science.nasa.gov/mission/awe || ", "release_date": "2024-01-08T10:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2024-01-02T12:36:01.043684-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1088259, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014494/AWE_ISS_Extraction_001-Timelapse.00001_print.jpg", "filename": "AWE_ISS_Extraction_001-Timelapse.00001_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Footage of NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) extraction from SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft onboard the International Space Station.Footage Credit: NASA/International Space Station\r", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 14440, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14440/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) Media Resources", "description": "From its unique vantage point on the International Space Station, NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) will look directly down into Earth’s atmosphere to study how gravity waves travel through the upper atmosphere. Data collected by AWE will enable scientists to determine the physics and characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves and how terrestrial weather influences the ionosphere, which can affect communication with satellites.AWE is led by Michael Taylor at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory built the AWE instrument and will provide the mission operations center.Visit https://science.nasa.gov/mission/awe/ to learn more. Watch AWE launch aboard NASA's SpaceX Cargo Dragon. Download isolated launch views of NASA's SpaceX CRS-29 mission. || ", "release_date": "2023-10-25T08:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-11-02T08:59:38.890674-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 860148, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014440/23e00100_AWE_r_print.jpg", "filename": "23e00100_AWE_r_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "From its unique vantage point on the International Space Station, NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) will look directly down into Earth’s atmosphere to study how gravity waves travel through the upper atmosphere. Data collected by AWE will enable scientists to determine the physics and characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves and how terrestrial weather influences the ionosphere, which can affect communication with satellites.\n\nAWE is led by Michael Taylor at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory built the AWE instrument and will provide the mission operations center.", "width": 682, "height": 1024, "pixels": 698368 } }, { "id": 12902, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12902/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "The Secrets behind Earth’s Multi-colored Glow", "description": "What does our planet look like from space? Most are familiar with the beloved images of the blue marble or pale blue dot — Earth from 18,000 and 3.7 billion miles away, respectively. But closer to home, within the nearest region of space, you might encounter an unfamiliar sight. If you peer down on Earth from just 300 miles above the surface, near the orbit of the International Space Station, you can see vibrant swaths of red and green or purple and yellow light emanating from the upper atmosphere. This is airglow. Airglow occurs when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light in order to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light — called a photon — in order to relax again. The phenomenon is similar to auroras, but where auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind, airglow is energized by day-to-day solar radiation. || ", "release_date": "2018-10-22T10:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:46:19.257214-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 405598, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012902/12902_Airglow_VX-919658_large.00320_print.jpg", "filename": "12902_Airglow_VX-919658_large.00320_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Music: \"Nature Daydream\" by Laurent Dury [SACEM], \"Grape Picking\" by Laurent Dury [SACEM] from Killer TracksComplete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } } ], "sources": [ { "id": 14445, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14445/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Atmospheric Gravity Waves Imagery", "description": "Atmospheric gravity waves are similar to what happens when you drop a stone into a calm pond, but they roll through the air and cloud tops instead of water. Just like waves form in the ocean or a lake when water is disturbed, waves also form in the atmosphere when air is disturbed. They form when air is forced upward by hills or mountains into a layer of stable air in the atmosphere. Gravity causes the air to fall back down, and it begins to oscillate, creating a ripple effect. Wind flowing over the Rocky Mountains, for example, can create gravity waves that are felt as turbulence on an airplane. || ", "release_date": "2023-10-25T15:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-10-26T09:29:10.027006-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 860420, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014400/a014445/14445_AGW_LakeSuperior_print.jpg", "filename": "14445_AGW_LakeSuperior_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "From the vantage point of the International Space Station, astronauts frequently observe atmospheric and surface phenomena in ways that are impossible to view from the ground. Two such phenomena—gravity waves and sunglint—are illustrated in this photograph of northeastern Lake Superior.Gravity waves are produced when moisture-laden air encounters imbalances in air density, such as might be expected when cool air flows over warmer air. This can cause the flowing air to oscillate up and down as it moves, causing clouds to condense as the air rises and cools and to evaporate away as the air sinks and warms. This produces parallel bands of clouds oriented perpendicular to the wind direction. The orientation of the cloud bands in this image, parallel to the coastlines, suggests that air flowing off of the land surfaces to the north is interacting with moist, stable air over the lake surface, creating gravity waves.Caption by William L. Stefanov, Jacobs/JETS and Michael H. Trenchard, Barrios/JETS, both at NASA-JSC. Image Credit: NASA/ISS", "width": 1024, "height": 682, "pixels": 698368 } }, { "id": 20385, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20385/", "page_type": "Animation", "title": "Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) Beauty Pass", "description": "AWE aboard the ISS || ISS_AWE_ProRes.00420_print.jpg (576x1024) [133.9 KB] || ISS_AWE_ProRes.00420_searchweb.png (180x320) [81.4 KB] || ISS_AWE_ProRes.00420_thm.png (80x40) [6.7 KB] || ISS_AWE_1080_h264.mov (1920x1080) [27.7 MB] || ISS_AWE_ProRes.mov (3840x2160) [1.7 GB] || ISS_AWE_h264.mov (3840x2160) [66.2 MB] || AWE_frames (3840x2160) [32.0 KB] || ISS_AWE_ProRes.webm (3840x2160) [9.6 MB] || ", "release_date": "2023-10-04T15:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-10-04T12:10:41.299413-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 859587, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a020000/a020300/a020385/ISS_AWE_ProRes.00420_print.jpg", "filename": "ISS_AWE_ProRes.00420_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "AWE aboard the ISS", "width": 576, "height": 1024, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 12963, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12963/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Airglow Imagery", "description": "Airglow occurs when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light in order to shed their excess energy. The phenomenon is similar to auroras, but where auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind, airglow is sparked by day-to-day solar radiation. Airglow carries information on the upper atmosphere’s temperature, density, and composition, but it also helps us trace how particles move through the region itself. Vast, high-altitude winds sweep through the ionosphere, pushing its contents around the globe — and airglow’s subtle dance follows their lead, highlighting global patterns. || ", "release_date": "2018-06-02T15:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2024-10-10T00:17:22.950679-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 403649, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012900/a012963/iss044e045565_NASA:Scott_Kelly.jpg", "filename": "iss044e045565_NASA:Scott_Kelly.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "PhotographSince November 2000, people have been living continuously on the International Space Station. To celebrate humanity's 15th anniversary off planet Earth, consider this snapshot from space of our galaxy and our home world posing together beyond the orbital outpost. The Milky Way stretches below the curve of Earth's limb in the scene that also records a faint red, extended airglow. The galaxy's central bulge appears with starfields cut by dark rifts of obscuring interstellar dust. The picture was taken by Astronaut Scott Kelly on August 9, 2015, the 135th day of his one-year mission in space.Credit: NASA/Scott Kelly", "width": 1600, "height": 1065, "pixels": 1704000 } } ], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }