AWE

Atmospheric Waves Experiment

active Mission
Above Earth, the International Space Station orbits. From one area toward the middle of the station, a transparent cone highlights a rainbow stripe of Earth's atmosphere.

In November 2023, AWE was installed on the exterior of the International Space Station. From its space station perch, AWE is studying colorful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere, called airglow.

Type

Experiment

Launch

Nov. 9, 2023

Location

International Space Station

Objective

Study airglow

The Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) is attached to the exterior of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station. From its space station perch, AWE focuses on colorful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere, called airglow, to determine what combination of forces drive space weather in the upper atmosphere.

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AWE Stories

Explore All Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) Stories
Article
2 min read

Hurricane Helene’s Gravity Waves Revealed by NASA’s AWE

Against the outline of the southeastern United States, a circular shape moves from the center of the view (around Tennessee) to the southeast toward Florida. Inside the circular shape are bands of blues, yellows, and reds that change as the circle moves.
45 min read

Atmospheric Waves

45 min read

Atmospheric Waves

An artist's conception of the international space station flying over earth's atmosphere. A yellowish beam comes down from the space station toward's Earth's atmosphere, leaving a multi-colored path across the sky below it, representing AWE's measurements.
4 min read

AWE Launching to Space Station to Study Atmospheric Waves via Airglow

Article1 year ago
5 min read

NASA’s SpaceX CRS-29 Mission Flies Research to the Space Station

Article1 year ago
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