NASA launches rocket in VA, dozens report strange light near Norfolk

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. (AP) - NASA says it successfully launched a
rocket in Virginia as part of an experiment, and the blast may have
caused dozens of people to report seeing strange lights in the sky.
    The space agency said it launched the Black Brant XII on
Saturday evening to gather data on the highest clouds in the
Earth’s atmosphere. About the time of the launch, dozens of people
in the Northeast started calling local television stations to
report seeing strange lights.
    The calls came from as far away as Boston, which is about 380
miles northeast of the launch site.
    The rocket is designed to create an artificial cloud. NASA hopes
the experiment will provide information on the formation and
properties of noctilucent clouds, which occur at high altitudes.