The RAIN Rocket Experiment

The RAIN (Rocket deployed Atmospheric probes conducting Independent measurements in Northern Sweden) experiment was successfully launched aboard the REXUS-11 sounding rocket from Esrange Space Centre on November 16, 2012. Below is an image from t+67 seconds into flight when the RAIN experiment ejected its aerosol collection payloads.

Above is a video of the REXUS-11 flight from on board the RAIN experiment. The camera is facing out the side of the rocket. After it is launched the rocket is spin stabilised, spinning at 4 Hz. Make sure to watch out for the ejection of the RAIN aerosol collection probes at 1:27. The rocket de-spins soon after and you see a pretty spectacular view of the Earth with the Sun in the background.

Above is a photo taken by the Swedish Space Corporation recovery crew that found and collected the two RAIN atmospheric probes. One of them is seen here at its landing site with its high visibility parachute stuck in some branches. Both probes were collected and returned to the RAIN team for post-flight analysis.