Direct measurement of air density in the 30–60 km region by beta-ray forward scattering

A helium‐filled, zero‐pressure (internal and external pressures equal), polyethelene balloon, 28.7 million cubic feet in volume (the largest to date), was launched on September 11, 1968, from White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, to study the atmospheric tides that rocket soundings have indicated exist in the atmospheric region from 40 to 60 km. The balloon served as a constant‐level stable support for a scientific payload consisting of six instruments for the measurement of temperature, pressure, density, and related ozone and water vapor concentrations near 48 km. Radar position‐time data served to determine the wind velocity. The balloon reached a record altitude of 48.5 km and then followed a predicted trajectory extending from WSMR to Twenty‐Nine Palms, California. Seventeen hours of stratospheric meteorological data were obtained, of which four hours were obtained in the 48‐km altitude region. This paper describes the various aspects of the balloon system and its flight and lists the significant results obtained; it is intended to serve as a reference for subsequent papers related to a detailed analysis of the various records.

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Direct measurement of air density in the 30–60 km region by beta-ray forward scattering

Cited by 2 publications

References 12 publications

Gauges for Low-Pressure Measurement

Gauges for Low-Pressure Measurement

A constant-altitude balloon experiment at 48 kilometers

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