XPost: alt.government.shills, alt.astronomy, talk.politics.guns   
   XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: rex@facebook.com   
      
   A rocket carrying a U.S. Space Force satellite into orbit may have punched   
   a hole in Earth's upper atmosphere, after lifting off with just 27 hours'   
   notice — a new record for the shortest amount of time from getting the go-   
   ahead to actually launching.   
      
   Firefly Aerospace, a company contracted by Space Force, launched one of   
   its Alpha rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept.   
   14 at 10:28 p.m. local time, Live Science's sister site Space.com   
   reported. The launch was not publicized or live-streamed, making it a   
   complete surprise to the space exploration community.   
      
   The rocket was carrying Space Force's Victus Nox satellite (Latin for   
   "conquer the night"), which will run a "space domain awareness" mission to   
   help Space Force keep tabs on what is happening in the orbital   
   environment.   
      
   The surprise rocket initially caught people's eye after creating an   
   enormous exhaust plume that could be seen from more than 1,000 miles   
   (1,600 kilometers) away. But after the plume dissipated, a faint red glow   
   remained in the sky, which is a telltale sign that the rocket created a   
   hole in the ionosphere — the part of Earth's atmosphere where gases are   
   ionized, which stretches between 50 and 400 miles (80 and 645 km) above   
   Earth's surface — Spaceweather.com reported.   
      
   Related: Environmental groups sue US government over explosive SpaceX   
   rocket launch   
      
   This is not the first "ionospheric hole" observed this year. In July, the   
   launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket created an enormous blood-red patch   
   above Arizona that could be seen for hundreds of miles.   
      
   Rockets create ionospheric holes when fuel from their second stages burns   
   in the middle part of the ionosphere, between 125 and 185 miles (200 and   
   300 km) above Earth's surface, Live Science previously reported. At this   
   height, the carbon dioxide and water vapor from the rocket's exhaust cause   
   ionized oxygen atoms to recombine, or form back into normal oxygen   
   molecules. This process excites the molecules and leads them to emit   
   energy in the form of light. This is similar to how auroras form, except   
   the dancing lights are caused by solar radiation heating up gases rather   
   than their recombination.   
      
   The holes pose no threat to people on Earth's surface and naturally close   
   up within a few hours as the recombined gases get re-ionized.   
      
   https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/us-space-force-may-   
   have-accidentally-punched-a-hole-in-the-upper-atmosphere   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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