  Rocket technology, originally developed for military applications, has
provided a low-cost observing platform to carry critical and rapid-response
scientific investigations for over 70 years. Even with the development of
launch vehicles that could put satellites into orbit, high altitude sounding
rockets have remained relevant. In addition to science observations, sounding
rockets provide a unique technology test platform and a valuable training
ground for scientists and engineers. Most importantly, sounding rockets remain
the only way to explore the tenuous regions of the Earth's atmosphere (the
upper stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower ionosphere/thermosphere) above
balloon altitudes ($\sim$40 km) and below satellite orbits ($\sim$160 km). They
can lift remote sensing telescope payloads with masses up to 400 kg to
altitudes of 350 km providing observing times of up to 6 minutes above the
blocking influence of Earth's atmosphere. Though a number of sounding rocket
research programs exist around the world, this article focuses on the NASA
Sounding Rocket Program, and particularly on the astrophysical and solar
sounding rocket payloads.
