I’m trying to learn about this thing, but I am a bit potato when it comes to all this tech- and science-speak. Could someone explain it like I’m 5?
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The ionosphere is a region of the atmosphere that begins above the ozone layer and extends upwards to near space. Solar radiation causes the atmosphere in this region to be ionized, meaning that the atoms and molecules it is made up of are electrically charged. This ionization, at its most extreme, is the cause of auroras.
The ionosphere bounces radio waves. Before satellites, long-distance communication frequently took the form of radio waves that struck the ionosphere and were reflected back to Earth. In some cases this could then result in the radio signals bouncing back and forth, giving some very long-range short-wave radios the ability to communicate across thousands of miles while most radio was line of sight between antennas.
HAARP is the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (note the reference to auroras). It aims high-frequency radio waves at the ionosphere and measures the bounced radio waves in order to learn more about the ionosphere. Additional equipment may be used, including balloons and satellites.
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