NASA rocket launches in Virginia, carries student works aloft

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va., June 20 (UPI) -- A rocket launched from Virginia Thursday had experiments on board created by students across the country, NASA says.

The Terrier-Improved suborbital sounding rocket, launched about 5:30 a.m. EDT from the Wallops Flight Facility, attained an altitude of 73.2 miles before its payload descended to the surface of the Atlantic Ocean by parachute where it was recovered, the space agency reported.

More than 100 students and teachers watched the launch from Wallops Island, The (Norfolk) Virginia-Pilot reported.

The students will be able to analyze the data they collected, NASA said.

The experiments were designed by students participating in programs sponsored by the Colorado and Virginia Space Grant Consortia, it said.

The programs are designed to provide participants an introduction to building small experiments that can be launched on sounding rockets.