The researcher, Dr. Yoav Yair, says in a special interview to the Hidaan website that this is a "new animal" in the family of atmospheric phenomena that have been studied so far. In the meantime, the Open University and Tel Aviv University finished going over all the night photos taken from the shuttle once and started a follow-up project that includes observations from the ground
Two years have passed since the Columbia disaster, but the scientific work on the data collected there continues. A researcher from the Open University in collaboration with NASA discovered a special flash in the upper atmosphere.
An unfamiliar flash was observed by the crew of the shuttle Columbia during their flight over the Indian Ocean in 2003. It is possible that this unusual flash is similar to the well-known "goblin" flashes, flashes of light that accompany thunderstorms. The unique flash was captured two weeks before the loss of the shuttle.
Researcher Dr. Yoav Yair, from the Open University, describes the flash as a passing red glowing ionospheric emission - (in English acronyms - "Tiger"). The phenomenon was captured in the spectrum in the near-infrared range (860 nm) by a video camera, south of Madagascar on January 20, 2003. The researchers analyzed the results of the observation several months later and found what appeared to be a large flash whose shape was unlike any other known and known type of dwarf events ( Sprites and Elves), which usually appear near thunderstorms.
The observation from the space shuttle was conducted by the late astronaut Ilan Ramon, as part of the MEIDEX Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment and is reported by the researcher, Dr. Yoav Yair from the Open University, who coordinated the research project in collaboration with NASA. The research appeared in the latest issue of Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union and is the result of collaboration with research groups in Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, Hungary and the USA.
The researchers also analyzed ground and satellite measurements in the area of the flash that were taken at the same time as the photo from the shuttle, and reported that the signals that usually accompany such flashes of light were not picked up by equipment designed to measure electromagnetic radiation in low frequency ranges (VLF and ELF). The same ones are associated with strong lightning flashes from a cloud to the ground (as is usually done in the case of elves). Lightning was also not observed near the "Tiger" flash area at that time.
The "Tiger" event that was observed occurred with a relatively greater delay than any lightning, and also at a much greater distance than what has been observed so far in the cases of "Shiduns" or "Alifs". Most sprites appear within 10 milliseconds of strong cloud-to-ground lightning. This incident happened about 1,000 kilometers away from the nearest lightning flash observed at the time and with a delay of over a quarter of a second. The experimental equipment also observed during the mission 17 other sprites that easily fell into the familiar categories, so the researchers believe that the unusual event is a new type of flash, and not a delayed sprite.
"In my opinion, the current study shows us that there are processes in the upper atmosphere that we do not know enough about," says Dr. Yoav Yair. "The best way to explore and test them is in space."
The team of researchers found no malfunctions in the equipment and note that the sky was clear in the vicinity of the observations, so the hypothesis of a reflection from another flash can be dismissed. They also point out that a meteor would have left a persistent trail that would have been observed while the astronauts were watching and recording the flash, thus ruling out the hypothesis that the flash was a meteor trail.
Another explanation offered was that electron beams accelerated upward by strong lightning in a thunderstorm that was in the Cyprus region at about the same time, were carried by the Earth's geomagnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere, at the reversed magnetic point, and resulted in the formation of a purple aura near Madagascar, similar to an elf in which intensities are equal of light in red and blue shades. The researchers rule out this possibility because the thunderstorm in question in the Middle East region (which is magnetically opposite to the Madagascar region) did not produce lightning with a strong enough power to cause the "Tiger" event. The researchers note that additional observations from space will allow observations of additional cases of flashes that may shed light on the mystery of the cause of the phenomenon.
In a special conversation with the Hidan website, Dr. Yair says: This is probably a new animal in the family of atmospheric phenomena and its physical mechanism is a little different from those of the elves. The electrons move along the magnetic field and hit the atmosphere from above, unlike the sprites that hit from below. I deciphered it already in April, but until we researched and tested and felt that there was something real in it, it took time.
What is the status of the research based on the data collected by Columbia team members in the Madex experiment?
"We managed to go through all the data of the lightning photographs taken at night once, and now we are starting from the beginning. We are still working on today's data - the photos of the dust and smoke."
What do you need?
"Time and students, a lot of work. We will do it, we have students."
The ILAN experiment
Dr. Yair reveals to us that the Open University and Tel Aviv University are carrying out joint research. A continuation of the research from Columbia, observations are being made from the roof of the building of the Department of Geophysics in Tel Aviv with the help of the backup camera of the experiment of the one flown on the Columbia shuttle, and another specially purchased camera. "We watch lightning storms while they are still at sea before they reach the shores of Israel and look above them to look for sprites. My partner at Tel Aviv University is Prof. Colin Price from the Department of Geophysics, who was also a member of the Madex team. High school students from the School of Engineering in Tel Aviv also participate in the research, in a project coordinated by Dr. Anna Heller. We named this project ILAN, after Ilan Ramon, with the consent of his wife, but it also has a scientific meaning: ILAN - Imaging Of Lightning And Nocturnal Emissions. When NASA heard about the follow-up study, they offered us this name. At the time I asked permission from Rona Ramon and she agreed. "
As someone who is in regular contact with NASA, will the shuttles fly again?
"In terms of the repairs and the performance of all the tasks assigned to them by the investigation committee, there is still a lot of work to be done. They have made changes to the fuel tank, are building a new arm that will be mounted on top of the current arm, and that will go out and photograph the wings from inside the shuttle. Several cameras will be installed on the new arm that will allow the wings and the belly to be photographed to check whether the cameras recording the launch missed. About a month ago I was at one of the NASA facilities and there I met with the people who worked with us during the experiment, some of whom I had not met for two years. One of the engineers on the team told me that although NASA has scheduled the next launch for May, he does not believe they will meet the deadlines. They are making a tremendous effort to return to flying, they have flight 114 on the way. In my opinion, they will not meet the schedule, but they will fly this year, it seems more likely that it will be at the end of the summer or the beginning of the fall."
