The upcoming solar eclipse has prompted the State of Indiana to declare a state of emergency, while NASA plans to send three rockets 418.5 kms into the sky for “research.”The eclipse, expected to cross over US states in the southeast up to the northeast before making its way through Ontario, Nova Scotia and other eastern Canadian provinces on Monday, April 8, has already caused a disproportionate response. Oklahoma is bringing in the national guard and along with several other US states, warned residents to stockpile groceries, gas and even pet food, as well as plan alternative communication means, ahead of the eclipse.In Canada, Niagara Falls has declared a pro-active state of emergency, which is currently in effect and Ontario school boards will be closed for the day or will be sending kids home early. The state of Indiana has now declared a “statewide disaster emergency,” effective immediately and ending April 9 at midnight. “To ensure preparedness for the total solar eclipse," the State of Indiana Executive Department said. While states and provinces are going into preparation hyperdrive, NASA is getting ready to launch three research rockets into the sky that day from Virginia’s Wallops Flight Facility.The space agency has warned people may see fireballs in the sky during the eclipse, but not to worry — it’s just a NASA experiment. There will be multiple streaks of fire across the sky towards the East Coast; one rocket will launch 45 minutes prior to the eclipse, another during the eclipse and a third 45 minutes after the eclipse’s totality. .The US won’t see another eclipse until 2044, NASA reasoned, “so these experiments are a rare opportunity for scientists to collect crucial data.”“Three sounding rockets will launch before, during and after the peak local eclipse to study how Earth’s upper atmosphere is affected when sunlight momentarily dims over a portion of the planet,” NASA said in a news release.“For those in the mid-Atlantic region, weather permitting, the launches may be visible.” .NASA calculates the rockets will make it to a maximum altitude of 418.5 kms, which is “too high for science balloons and too low for satellites.” The space agency wants to find out how an eclipse could “interfere with our communications.” “As the eclipse shadow races through the atmosphere, it creates a rapid, localized sunset that triggers large-scale atmospheric waves and small-scale disturbances or perturbations,” NASA said. “These perturbations affect different radio communication frequencies. Gathering the data on these perturbations will help scientists validate and improve current models that help predict potential disturbances to our communications, especially high frequency communication.”
