In the tiny Arctic town of Ny-Ålesund, where polar bears outnumber people, winter means three months without sunlight. The unending darkness is ideal for those who seek a strange breed of northern lights, normally obscured by daylight. When these unusual auroras shine, Earth’s atmosphere leaks into space. NASA scientists traveled to Ny-Ålesund to launch rockets through these auroras and witness oxygen particles right in the middle of their escape. Piercing these fleeting auroras, some 300 miles high, would require strategy, patience — and a fair bit of luck. This is their story.
Music credit: “Journey to the Past”, “New Philosopher”, “Curiosity Cabinet”, “Buzzing Culture”, “Dusk Theories”, “At the Edge of the End” by Laurent Dury [SACEM]; “Strong Voices” by Tom Caffey [ASCAP]; “The Fortune Teller” by Phil Stevens [PRS]; “Shinobi’s Fight” by Benoit Malis [SACEM]; “Spring into Life” by Oliver Worth [PRS]
Video credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Interviewees:
Douglas E. Rowland (NASA/GSFC)
Jøran Idar Moen (University of Oslo)
Preben Hanssen (Andøya Space Center)
Kjellmar Oksavik (University of Bergen/University Centre in Svalbard)
Fred Sigernes (Kjell Henriksen Observatory, University Centre in Svalbard)
Sophia Zaccarine (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
Glenn Maxfield (ASRC Federal Space and Defense)
John C. Hickman (NASA/WFF)
Producers:
Joy Ng (USRA)
Miles S. Hatfield (Telophase)
Animators:
Bailee DesRocher (USRA)
Josh Masters (Freelance)
Joy Ng (USRA)
Scientists:
Robert Pfaff (NASA/GSFC)
Sarah L. Jones (NASA/GSFC)
Michael Collier (NASA/GSFC)
Jason McLain (University of Maryland, College Park)
Andres Spicher (University of Oslo)
Ruth Lieberman (NASA/GSFC)
Cinematographers:
Joy Ng (USRA)
Miles S. Hatfield (Telophase)
Patrick Black (NASA/GSFC Wallops)
Trond Abrahamsen (Andøya Space Center)
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