NASA takes advantage of the solar eclipse and launches 3 rockets to understand the phenomenon. A study likened the ionosphere to a stable pool of water, and the eclipse is like a boat moving in the middle of this pool.
The space rockets will fly at three different times: one 45 minutes before the eclipse, the second during the eclipse and the last will be launched 45 minutes after the eclipse reaches its peak. Although the eclipse will block only 81.4% of the sunlight from above the facility, the team hopes to obtain the best numbers and data possible.