How is data taken using a TMA trail?
When TMA is released into the upper atmosphere it glows brightly and, at night, can be seen for several hundred miles. Data is collected on the TMA trails by simultaneously taking photographs of the trail from at least two ground observation sites. In this way, the trail profile is recorded over time. • How is the photographic data converted into wind velocities? Because the trail was photographed simultaneously from at least two ground observation sites, the position of the trail may be triangulated using the background stars as reference points. By analyzing consecutive trail positions over time, the velocity of the trail over its altitude range (also known as a wind profile) may be determined. • How long does the TMA trail last? The trail duration depends on the rate at which TMA was released and also the altitude range that the trail was released. (At lower altitudes the oxygen density is greater and the chemical TMA will disappear more rapidly.) TMA trails typically last between 5
