NASA launching sound rockets in Virginia [Video]

VIRGINIA, USA — A space mission taking flight from Virginia next week hopes to uncover the mysteries behind Monday’s highly anticipated solar eclipse.

Behind the gates where rockets take flight on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, scientists count down the days to make final adjustments and prepare for their latest Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) Mission.

Since 1963, NASA has launched eight other sounding rocket missions under the APEP Umbrella. Monday’s launch will mark the ninth in total, and the first from the Wallops Island Flight Facility since 1970, aiming to collect data and information about the effects of a solar eclipse on our ionosphere.

“This particular rocket is a total from launch to splash down 600 seconds, about 10 minutes total. The hang time is nine minutes in the parabolic flight, the first 60 …