// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Aurora
A natural light display in the sky, usually seen in high-latitude regions, caused by solar wind interacting with Earth's magnetic field.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
An aurora (e.g., aurora borealis, aurora australis) is a natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles from the solar wind with atoms in a planet's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere.
BACKGROUND
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. Tourists are motivated by the possibility of viewing Earth from space, feeling weightlessness, experiencing extremely high speed, and contributing to science.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Northern lights
- southern lights
- polar lights
USAGE NOTE
Auroras are a visible manifestation of space weather and planetary magnetic fields, studied for their impact on communications.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Aurora.
A subsidiary of Boeing that designs and manufactures advanced uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aerospace systems, specializing in autonomy, electric propulsion, and novel aircraft configurations.
A Finnish company developing propulsion systems for small satellites, including plasma brakes for deorbiting and water-based resistojet thrusters for orbit and attitude control.
The division within NASA responsible for studying the sun and its influence on the solar system, including the physics of space weather and the mechanisms that create auroras on Earth and other planets.
A world-renowned research center focused on polar and sub-polar geophysics. It is a leading institution for auroral research and operates Poker Flat Research Range, a launch facility for sounding rockets that study the aurora.
An intergovernmental organization dedicated to space exploration. ESA operates missions like Cluster and Swarm, which study Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind interactions that cause auroras.
A research center that builds and operates robotic spacecraft for NASA and other agencies. APL has developed numerous instruments and missions, such as the THEMIS mission, to study the Earth's magnetosphere and auroral phenomena.
A research institute at the University of Colorado Boulder that designs, builds, and operates instruments and missions to study space physics, including missions relevant to planetary auroras like MAVEN at Mars.