Overview

• NASA's Endurance mission detected the ambipolar electric field, a weak but fundamental force in the upper atmosphere.
• This field influences the 'polar wind,' driving charged particles into space above Earth's poles.
• The discovery helps explain the ionosphere's structure and atmospheric escape mechanisms.
• The field's detection was achieved with a suborbital rocket launched from Svalbard, Norway.
• Researchers believe similar fields may exist on other planets, impacting their atmospheric evolution.