BETTER BALLOON TRACKING: Beacon Provide Possible Solution

The Federal Aviation Agency’s recently announced E plans that include adoption of the system "c3 as the backbone of its in-flight air traffic control in the U.S. may provide the means for better tracking of balloons as well. As part of its program to increase the safety of scientific balloon operations, the National Center for Atmospheric Research during the next seve­ ral months will make a number of flight tests with a balloon-borne beacon to investigate the effectiveness of the radar beacon system for ballooning. TO USE COMMERCIAL UNIT The transponder to be used in NCAR’s tests is the General Aviation Transponder (GAT), a ten-pound unit developed by the Wilcox Electric Co. and the TD> KJ Hazeltine Corp. under FAA sponsorship. The unit will lie repackaged in a pressure vessel to permit operation at balloon altitudes. Secondary Surveillance Radar is the name used for the air traffic control radar beacon system. If the NCAR tests demonstrate the feasibility of using the system in balloon tracking, the FAA will then have its own !E 3 balloon tracking capability. In terms of accuracy, lag time, and range of coverage, this capability contrasts □ L sharply with the limitations of present methods of track­ ing balloons with radio direction finding equipment, (2£)CH 3 E or, very rarely, with . la 0 © P°1 RADIO DIRECTION FINDING METHODS Most balloon tracking is done by aircraft equipped with direction finding equipment. In this system, the tracking airplane flies below the balloon, circles, and NATIONAL CENTER FOR obtains null signals from a transmitter carried by the ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH balloon. Transmission is usually in the band between 1.6 and 1.8 megacycles. Balloon position with respect to BOULDER, COLORADO the airplane can be determined within one to five miles with this technique, but the error in ground position mav be wider, since the aircraft may be uncertain of its No. 6, Septem ber, 1962 Second-class postage paid at Boulder, Colorado. 2 SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

own position by an additional five or more miles, with much less serious line of sight miles under cloudy conditions and in areas limitations than with primary radar systems, f of minimum navigational aids. When gaps in the system are filled, the ' Sometimes ground-based direction find­ FAA will be able to provide coverage over ing equipment is used in balloon tracking. the entire continental limits of the U.S. Frequencies for the balloon-borne trans­ Within two years the FAA ground stations mitter are usually in the three- to ten-mega­ will be equipped with devices to decode cycle range. Tracking range is great; the automatically the altitude data from air­ Federal Communications Commission, craft carrying a beacon transponder. using its extensive network of direction BALLOON FLIGHT TESTS finding stations, has tracked balloons for In the NCAR tests with the repackaged distances in excess of 5,000 miles. Fix GAT transponder, the FAA ground stations accuracy is of the order of 20 miles, with will obtain horizontal position information. somewhat better accuracy in areas where Because the FAA equipment does not yet good bearings from five or more stations have automatic altitude decoding devices, are received. However, since information altitude information will be obtained by on the balloon’s position is derived from NCAR with conventional telemetry equip­ plotting a number of bearings from widely ment. separated stations, there are inevitable The goal of the tests is to provide the delays in obtaining data. These delays may FAA with the ability to determine X-Y-Z ( not be important in the balloon operation, coordinates of a balloon at all times. The but they seriously reduce the value of the FAA can then use its own control system to data to the FAA if it is to direct aircraft route traffic to avoid a descending balloon, away from the balloon during its descent rather than depending on marginally ac­ phase. ceptable data from the balloon flight group TRACKING WITH PRIMARY RADAR on which to base its traffic control. Finally, The many primary radar systems of the the FAA can provide accurate position data FAA and the Air Defense Command are to the balloon operation in the field. capable of tracking a balloon under certain conditions, and they have occasionally been c used for this purpose. However, the beam angle of the radar precludes detection at 28 November for altitudes above 60,000 feet and the horizon limits detection to about 50 miles for the O 3 and H 2O Conference low altitudes of ascent and descent. Fur­ A planning conference to discuss co­ thermore, if the Moving Target Indicator operative field programs in the measure­ ( M TI) equipment of these , used to ment of ozone and water vapor in the eliminate ground clutter, is in operation, the stratosphere will be held at NCAR in Boul­ MTI will also remove the balloon from the der on 28 November 1962. The field pro­ display unless the balloon is traveling in a grams will be conducted at the NCAR region of high winds. Scientific Balloon Flight Station at Pal­ FAA SECONDARY SURVEILLANCE RADAR estine, Texas, in the spring of 1963. In the FAA’s secondary radar system, a The planning conference was first an­ transmits coded pulses at a nounced in the May 1962 issue of “Sci­ frequency of 1090 megacycles to a trans­ entific Ballooning.” Detailed announce­ ponder carried by the aircraft. The trans­ ments are being sent to those who have ponder returns a delayed signal at a fre­ expressed their interest in participating. ( quency of 1030 megacycles, the code identi­ Others who may wish to participate or who fying the target and the delay time indi­ desire additional information are invited cating the horizontal distance. Coverage to contact Vincent E. Lally, NCAR, Boul­ for each ground station extends to 200 der. THE FLIGHT RECORD

Balloon Specifications Flight (Polyethylene Float Flight Payload operation unless specified; altitude duration weight Special Date Location Sponsor Investigator conducted by: vol. in cu. ft.) (feet) (hours) (pounds) Experiment features

18 July Bemidji, USAF R. Hofmann, General 0.75 mil 130.000 12 315 Cosmic ray Minn. USAF Mills 10 million studies

July Fort Churchill, ONR T. Cline, Raven 0.75 mil (most) 125,000(av.) 12(av.) 200(av.) Cosmic ray 15 flights Manitoba Goddard Space 3 million(av.) studies Flight Center; P. Meyer, U. of Chicago; J. Earl, U. of Minnesota; M. Kaplon, U. of Rochester

1 Aug. New Brighton, NASA F. Quimbv, General 2 mil 65,000 600 Micro­ Minn. NASA ' Mills 190,000 organism collection

2 Aug. New Brighton, AFCRL J. Pecci, General 1.5 mil 100,000 3Vz 1100 Air Minn. AFCRL Mills 2 million sampling

8 Aug. New Brighton, AFCRL J. Essex, General 1.5 mil 85,000 400 Albedo Minn. AFCRL Mills 440,000 measure­ ments

17 Aug. New Brighton, AEG G. Anton, General 2 mil 75,000 900 Air Minn. AEC Mills 320,000 sampling

Aug. Fort Churchill, ONR K. Anderson, Raven 0.75 mil 125,000 12 200 Cosmic 4 flights Manitoba U. of California 3 million ray (Berkeley) studies

Aug. Faribault, Minn. NASA M. Friedlander, Schjeldahl 0.75 mil 107,000 10 270 Cosmic and Calvinia, Washington U., 3 million ray South Africa St. Louis studies 4 SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

Palestine Flight- Station: A Preview Construction of the basic facilities at the photograph was taken, the graded area NCAR Scientific Balloon Flight Station at had recently been seeded. By winter there Palestine, Texas, is nearly done. Here is should be a stand of Bermuda grass to pro­ an illustrated progress report. Construction vide protection from erosion and a mat for began in June; the first balloon flight from vehicular traffic in nearly any kind of the station will be the fourth test flight of weather. the Stratoscope II system early in Decem­ The ramp, loading dock, and large doors ber. (15 feet wide by 18M feet high) of the First to be completed was the launch Operations and Laboratory Building (pho­ apron and graded area, shown in a view to to, top of opposite page) lead into the shop the northeast in the i>hoto above. Build­ area and inflation room. At ings of the Palestine Municipal Airport can the opposite end of the building, a control be seen at the upper right, with one of its room will be located at second-stoiy level, landing strips visible beyond the balloon topped by a flat deck for antennas and ob­ launching area. servers. Windows of the control room, Instead of the usual sub-layers of crushed which is similar in design to an airport rock ballast common in highway construc­ traffic control center, face the launching tion, the base of die launch apron is “ce­ apron. Communications and control equip­ ment-stabilized soil,” a rock-hard and rigid ment will be placed in the room. base formed by mixing cement and water In addition to the 40- by 60-foot shop with the fine-grained quartz sand found on area, the radiosonde inflation room, and the the site. An asphalt topping one inch thick control room, the Operations and Labora­ seals the base and provides a smooth sur­ face for launch vehicles. tory Building will provide seven offices, a There is a smooth, curbless transition radio room, a darkroom, a precision me­ from the launch apron to the surrounding chanical or electronics room, and a lounge graded area so that vehicles can run safely and rest rooms. The entire building is air off the apron if necessary. When the above conditioned. SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

(

(Photo above) The Operations and Labora­ tory Building of the NCAR Scientific Bal­ loon Flight Station as seen from the top of the Princeton University “Stratoport.” View is to the southeast. (Photo below) The Princeton University “Stratoport” and the Operations and Lab­ oratory Building viewed from the road leading to the launch apron. The “Strato­ ( port’' will house the Stratoscope II instru­ ment.

( UPCOMING FLIGHTS Balloon specifications (Polyethylene unless specified; Date Location Sponsor Investigator vol. in cu. ft.) Sept. San Angelo, ONR J. Earl, 0.75 mil Texas U. of Minn. .3 million

Sept. Minneapolis, ONR K. Anderson, 0.5 mil or Minn. U. of Calif. 1 million Oct. (Berkeley)

Sept New Brighton, JPL J. Zouendyck, 1 mil Minn. [PL 3.2 million

Sept. New Brighton, AFCRL J. Pecci, 1.5 mil Minn. AFCRL 2 million

Oct. New Brighton, NASA F. Quimby, 2 mil Minn. NASA 1 million

Oct. Minneapolis, AFCRL T. Palmer, 2 mil Minn. AFCRL 800,000

Oct. New Brighton, AFCRL F. McCormack, 0.75 mil Minn. AFCRL 560,000

Oct. New Brighton, AEC G. Anton, 1 mil Minn. AEC 1.9 million CETFC BALLOONING SCIENTIFIC

Float Flight Payload altitude duration weight Special (feet) (hours) (pounds) Experiment features 127.000 12 350 Cloud 3 flights chamber studies

130.000 12 120 Solar 4 flights flare contingent studies upon solar activity

120.000 9 325 Solar cell calibration

100,000 4Vz 1100 Ail- sampling

90.000 5 600 Microorganism collection

83.000 8 750 Water vapor instrument evaluation

100,000 6 400 Sky brightness measurements

110,000 5 525 Air sampling (fallout studies) ( SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

Ralph S. Block, President of the Wing- specific aspects of LTA. During the last foot Lighter-Than-Air Society, is the year this was done in Los Angeles, Los author of the following description of the Altos, New York, and London. Society. Our Annual Banquets in October have The Wingfoot Lighter-Than-Air Society proven to be the highlight social event each is an organization centered in Akron, Ohio, year in lighter-than-air. Our 10th Annual dedicated to promote and encourage the Banquet, held this year on October 11th, furtherance of knowledge pertaining to the features Mr. Kurt R. Stehling, NASA scien­ history, development, and operation of all tist, Office of Plans and Program Evalua­ lighter-than-air activities. Since our found­ tion, as main speaker. Our Achievement ing in 1952 by a group of people employed Award is being presented to Mrs. Alfred L. in the airship industry, our membership has (Connie) Wolf of Blue Bell, Pa., who set a risen to about 600 men, women, and young­ world’s record for balloon flight duration sters who are scattered all over the world. for women on 19-20 November 1961 of 40 About one quarter of our members live in hours 13 minutes. Previous Achievement the Akron area since, of course, this city is Award recipients have included Cdr. Mal­ so lighter-than-air conscious; but the other colm D. Ross, Capt. J. W. Kittinger, Jr., three quarters live in 45 states, the District Vice Adm. C. E. Rosendahl, and Dr. Karl of Columbia, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Arnstein, among others. Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Eng­ Our Annual Picnics in the summer have land, France, West Germany, Holland, featured model hot-air balloon races. Our Italy, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Third Annual Contest on July 29th brought Rico, Russia, Scotland, Switzerland, and three entrants from Pittsburgh, Pa. and one the Virgin Islands. And one of our mem­ from Lincoln, Nebraska. However, it was bers, until recently, inhabited a weather won by a local ten-year-old boy flying his station on an island in the middle of the first balloon. An article on our model bal­ Indian Ocean. loon contest in the July 1961 issue of Popu­ The Society is gathering material for a lar Science resulted in over 200 individuals Lighter-Than-Air museum to be located in writing to the Society from 36 states and Akron. Toward this end we have collected 10 foreign countries, and resulted in 31 new parts from all the American, and many members. foreign, rigid airships; nonrigid airship One of the more active projects of the parts; ballooning equipment; handbooks; Society when we started was the construc­ manuals; books; patents; thousands of LTA tion of a baby blimp. Work was pro­ photographs and newspaper and magazine gressing on this airship when, in 1955, we articles, and many, many other things. acquired some surplus cotton-neoprene We hold regular meetings in Akron on free balloons from the Navy. We im­ the second Thursday of each month, during mediately started getting the balloons ready which we usually have a noted speaker or to fly, since they needed less work than show films. Occasionally, groups of mem­ the airship, and as a matter of fact we’ve bers outside the Akron area get together done nothing on the airship since. But in to show films from our files and to discuss 1956 the first 35,000 cubic foot balloon was 8 SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

ready to fly. The balloon group of the Society then formed a separate club, Balloon, Balloon, called National-Lighter-Than-Air, and in­ corporated to take advantage of certain Who's Got a Balloon? legal considerations. National’s first balloon Alight was on 28 September 1956, and since At the suggestion of Dr. Joseph Klar- that time they have made a total of 13 mann, Washington University, the Balloon Alights in the Akron area and two from the Development Group of NCAR stands ready Philadelphia area. Their 19,000 cubic foot to provide a clearing house service for the balloon has made several captive Aights in redistribution of balloons that are no longer Akron and Detroit, and has an Akron Aight needed by researchers. The Development scheduled for the near future. group will compile and maintain an active Membership in the Society is open to catalog of all such balloons that are brought anyone interested in lighter-than-air. Dues to its attention. Anyone wishing either to are $1.00 per year for Associate (support­ dispose of or to acquire a surplus balloon ing) members and $6.00 for Active (partici­ for research use is invited to notify the pating); members receive a membership NCAR Balloon Development Group, Boul­ card, our monthly Bulletin, and a discount der. on LTA books sold by the Society. The Specifications should include balloon Bulletin, edited by Dr. A. D. Topping, type, capacity, fabric thickness, manufac­ usually has 8 or 10 pages and ordinarfly turer, condition of the balloon, location, ( contains articles and pictures of historical or ownership, and any other information that current interest, as well as book reviews, might affect transfer of the balloon. “Scien­ announcements, and a “Newslog.” tific Ballooning” will publish new entries to If there is ever anything we can do to be the catalog. of help to anyone regarding LTA activities, NCAR will act only as an information we are ready to be of service. Merely write repository. Interested groups will be res­ Wingfoot LTA Society, 1210 Massillon ponsible for their own negotiations for the Road, Akron 15, Ohio. transfer of the balloons.

PEANUTS® By Charles M. Schulz (

Courtesy Rocky Mountain News; Copr. 1962 United Features Syndicate, Inc.

PUBLISHED BIMONTHLY BY THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH OPERATED BY THE UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH ( SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ADDRESS REQUESTS FOR COPIES TO NCAR, BOULDER, COLORADO