Sounding rocket mission targets mysteries of solar corona

[Admin]

Although some rocket-borne missions last years or decades, others, such as the cast of NASA's Sounding Rockets Program, do their science during a short hop that doesn't even reach orbit.

Sounding rocket mission targets mysteries of solar corona : Read more

 

[Helio]

It's a little unclear why multiple sub-orbital flights would be superior to an orbital one. Why not have an orbiting craft that monitors soft-xrays, plus other spectrometers, that constantly monitor the corona?

The idea, however, of testing new instruments using sub-orbital flights before investing in grander missions does make a lot of sense.