OTD In Space - January 17: Final Aerobee Sounding Rocket Launched

On January 17, 1985, the United States launched its 1,037th and final Aerobee rocket.

Aerobee rockets were the first sounding rockets that the U.S. launched to research Earth's upper atmosphere. The small, suborbital rockets measured things like temperature, pressure, radiation and ozone. The last Aerobee rocket to launch was a variation called Aerobee 150, and it lifted off from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This rocket stood about 30 feet tall and could fly to an altitude of 170 miles with payloads weighing up to 150 pounds. This rocket's payload was a device designed to observe airglow, or the constant dim glow of Earth's atmosphere.