Build a rocket boys!

Looking toward the northern horizon, beyond the city lights, a large silvery plume rose vertically into the night sky, almost like that of smoke from a great fire, but this did not have the ‘heaviness’ and amorphous form of smoke: it instead had defined lines that swayed more like a living flame. This silvery-white flame streaked across the sky in a wide swath, ever shifting: becoming dimmer here, more intense there; wider there, thinner here. Hunched low over my steering column, I rolled the window down so its thin layer of ice crystals would not obstruct my view of the living trail of light. It followed the road, like a sentinel pointing the way. It had been a long time since I had seen an Aurora Borealis so bright: so I smiled at the lights and my fortune.

Later that night as I walked my dogs before bed, the Northern Lights now claimed the majority of the night sky, but it was subtler now. Instead of the bold, celestial belt weaving through the atmosphere it was now a subdued and comforting presence between the earth and the stars. And then, to the northwest, came the eruption of an orange flame. I watched in anticipation for it to transform into a colorful fireball. Why would someone ignite fireworks in early February? I had no idea, but this was going to be good.

But it didn’t explode. It kept rising: and fast. A military aircraft? I thought it might have originated from the army base, but most aircraft do not leave the earth like a projectile. I watched with awe as the object’s orange flame became increasingly dimmer and vanished into the darkness. Only after it could no longer be discerned by the naked eye for a minute or two did I hear some distant rumbling. It went away after several moments, but soon the rumbling returned and persisted for the better part of a minute. 

As the rocket penetrated through the northern lights and continued out of view I thought about Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke. I felt like I was a character in their science fiction books witnessing the departure of earthmen to foreign worlds. It was a good feeling.

Maybe that’s as close to space travel as I will ever get.

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Hello Brendan,

You did indeed witness a rocket launch originating from Poker Flat Research Range, located at Mile 30 on the Steese Highway. The launch took place at 11:11 p.m. on Friday, February 4th and was the second of two launches scheduled this season. The scientists organizing the launch were seeking to measure nitric oxide, which eats ozone and is created by the aurora in the upper atmosphere. A press release detailing the outcome of the rocket launch is still in the process of being written.

A video of that rocket launch is here: http://www.youtube.com/user/uafairbanks?feature=mhum#p/a/f/0/UWfuVt8Q2Ew.