| Delta 2 launches THEMIS probes to study aurora 2/17/07 ~ 6:01pm Homepage Launch Photos Shortly before sunset, a Delta 2 rocket launches the five THEMIS probes into Earth orbit for NASA on Feb. 17. THEMIS stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms and consists of five identical probes that will study the Earth's magnetic field and the aurora. It was the largest number of NASA satellites ever launched on one mission. Liftoff occured just 14 minutes before sunset, making for a spectacular smoke trail of orange, yellow and white as it climbed higher into the atmosphere. THEMIS cleanroom gallery Personal launch video <--- GPS 2R-16M Phoenix Mars Lander ---> |
| A glorious sunset launch as seen from the press site, 1.56 miles northwest of Launch Pad 17B: |
