Big powerful rockets may get all the glory, but did you know you don’t need to send instruments into orbit to do really valuable research? Sounding rockets are specifically designed to fly scientific instruments in the region between weather balloons and satellites, allowing us to make measurements that only require being above most of the Earth’s atmosphere. They are also frequently used to study the atmosphere itself! This week we talk with a scientist who specializes in using sounding rockets to research everything from nearby planets to galactic evolution to the structure of the universe itself!