| The primary
goal of the AIM
mission is to explain why PMCs form in the first
place and what is causing the mysterious changes in their
behavior. |
NASA
Facts
Download the AIM Fact Sheet ( PDF) |
|
The satellite
launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA
on a Pegasus-XL launch vehicle to its orbit 600 km (373
miles) above Earth. Launch date
was April 25, 2007. |
| Noctilucent
Clouds were first observed in 1885 by an
amateur astronomer and have been becoming brighter, more
frequent and appear to be moving to lower latitudes in
recent years. |
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The
AIM satellite carries three state-of-the-art instruments:
Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS),
Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE)
and the Cosmic Dust Experiment (CDE). |
| While one
and the same phenomenon, they are called Noctilucent
Clouds (NLCs)
when observed from
the ground at twilight and PMCs
when viewed from space platforms with instruments that
can sense their presence at any time of the night or day. |
