Hi, I'm Ron Mueller, mission manager for NASA's Launch Services Program and AIM,
which stands for Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere.
Observers have been mystified since 1885 by the sight of high, thin clouds glowing softly in the night sky.
Called noctilucent or "night-shining" clouds, they form an icy membrane at the edge of space
-- 50 miles above the Earth's surface, in a region called the mesosphere.
Why do these mysterious clouds form, and why are they shining more brightly, and more often, than in decades past?
NASA intends to find out with the two-year AIM mission.
Behind every mission are hundreds of people, working as a unified team to ensure success.
From the science instruments on the spacecraft to integration with the rocket.
It takes careful coordination and frequent meetings to bring everyone together and work out the details of the mission.