'55 miles up': Sunita Williams' ISS sees mysterious waves from Earth’s storms. What's going on?

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Mystery Detected

The ISS uncovered atmospheric waves 55 miles above Earth linked to Hurricane Helene. Representative pic

Mesosphere Revealed

[{"selector":"#anim-586e5e13-2c89-45fd-8ae2-902aa7353275 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-28.882575643801477%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Waves formed in the mesosphere, a rarely studied atmospheric layer, due to intense storm activity. Representative pic

Storm’s Reach

[{"selector":"#anim-b3073caf-ab77-4927-a9fc-1e033a6740ff [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(14.632812285393282%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Hurricane Helene’s power caused ripples in the upper atmosphere, invisible from the ground.

AWE’s Role

[{"selector":"#anim-99f50758-4ae2-487d-b3e2-49a1d201c80e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-32.66157660854841%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] NASA’s Atmospheric Wave Instrument (AWE), aboard the ISS tracked these disturbances.

Scientist’s Insight

[{"selector":"#anim-18a587a8-b1b9-4f9b-a37e-ee045e632f25 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(27.84090896291303%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] NASA’s Michael Taylor described the findings as “a new dimension” in understanding storms and thin air. Credit: LinkedIn

Impact on Satellites

[{"selector":"#anim-3d481f3f-dc35-46a4-b062-8f68a7d7f2dc [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(17.98577125971845%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Atmospheric waves disrupt satellite orbits, posing risks to space technology and communication systems. Representative pic

Infrared Advantage

[{"selector":"#anim-cd0bd981-0a44-4d2b-9ad9-cb65590f2d1a [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-16.343570540381073%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] The Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM) captured infrared data from these hidden disturbances. Credit: NASA

Data Breakthrough

[{"selector":"#anim-09de266b-26da-482b-9e92-ddc1a29b50a5 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-0.9350649376911591%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] AWE and AMTM provide groundbreaking insights into upper-atmosphere activity previously undetectable. Representative pic/NASA

Space Connections

[{"selector":"#anim-18f098eb-2eac-41b3-8bc0-4ccd065ae596 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-19.96822811844392%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Findings reveal how surface storms influence atmospheric layers critical to satellite stability. Credit: NASA

Future Applications

NASA emphasized that ongoing studies aim to improve satellite resilience and predict weather for space operations. Representative pic

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