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sounding rocket
noun
: a rocket used especially to obtain information concerning atmospheric conditions at various altitudes
Examples of sounding rocket in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Esrange has been the departure point for numerous suborbital and sounding rocket for nearly 50 years, but the spaceport is being upgraded for orbital satellite launches.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 28 June 2024
The Parker Solar Probe and the Solar Orbiter will soon be accompanied by other solar-observing spacecraft and sounding rockets, which will observe the sun from Earth's atmosphere.
—Rebecca Boyle, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2024
Solar eclipse experiment:Here's why NASA is launching 3 sounding rockets into space during the total solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse path of totality map
The 115-mile-wide path of totality will pass from southwest to northeast over portions of Mexico the United States and Canada.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Three sounding rockets are set to lift off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia before, during and after the eclipse to measure the impact of the sun on Earth’s upper atmosphere, known as the ionosphere.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
circa 1945, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of sounding rocket was
circa 1945
Dictionary Entries Near sounding rocket
Cite this Entry
“Sounding rocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sounding%20rocket. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on sounding rocket
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sounding rocket
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