The radiation of 5.3 Ī¼m photons by NO molecules is one of the more important processes for permanently removing energy from the thermosphere, and thus in controlling temperature and density responses to impulsive extraterrestrial energy inputs (e.g., Mlynczak et al., 2018). An accurate parameterization of NO cooling rates is therefore an indispensable component of any credible whole-atmosphere climate model, as well as of future whole-atmosphere numerical weather prediction models that seek to provide accurate forecasts of the thermosphere to drive physics-based ionospheric models used for space weather applications (Zawdie et al., 2020).As extraterrestrial energy is deposited within the thermosphere-ionosphere system, heat is thermally conducted by viscous processes to lower altitudes, where NO emissions can permanently remove some of this energy via radiation to space (see Figure 1 of Mlynczak et al., 2018). On long time scales, this NO cooling maintains and regulates thermospheric climate states, while on short time scales, it plays an important role in predicting thermospheric temperature and density responses to impulsive extraterrestrial energy inputs (