Balloon Flight Station Okayed; Building Begins

The National Center for Atmospheric Research and the National Science Foundation announced on 28 May the establishment of the year-round NCAR Scientific Balloon Flight Station to be located at Palestine, Texas. Establishment of the station will provide a site for scientific balloon launchings during all seasons of the year, and will allow the development of more stable E "c3 and efficient balloon programs for scientific experiments than have been possible heretofore. Initial construction is beginning immediately, with completion of this stage expected by 1 October. CONSTRUCTION UNDER WAY Under construction are a two-story prefabricated laboratory and operations building. About six and one- half acres of land will be paved to provide a surface along which to move light and moderate-weight pay­ loads in “dynamic” launches. A total area of 60 acres will be cleared, graded, and replanted to provide a suitable surface for equipment used when heavy pay­ loads are flown and restraining cables are used. < a § ) S INAUGURAL FLIGHT r------1 □ = ] The first scientific flight from the Palestine site, planned for fall, will be either the final test flight or the initial observational flight of the 36-inch telescope and dual-balloon vehicle of the Stratoscope II system of Dr. Martin Schwarzschild of the Princeton University Observatory. A “Stratoport” to house and test the tele­ scope is to be erected at the balloon flight station. TO ADVANCE BALLOON RESEARCH

o The Palestine site will be open to use by all scientists ( ^ ) C 3 E regardless of affiliation. It is expected to assist both GJE) f3 5 ! scientific research and the advancement of balloon technology. Field services and housekeeping functions will be performed by a flight service crew under contract with NCAR. Flights will be conducted by the NCAR flight NATIONAL CENTER FOR service crew, by visiting balloon contract crews, by the ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH two in combination, or by qualified launch groups from universities or government agencies. BOULDER, COLORADO When the station is in full operation, and when appropriate, NCAR will supply some or all of the No. 4, May, 1962 (Continued on Page 2) Second-class postage paid at Boulder, Colorado. 2 SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

following equipment and services: gas; able local wind and cloud conditions, im­ fittings; balloons; parachutes; cut-down, pact area weather, wind shear on ascent, command, and telemetry; weather ad­ and acceptable trajectories for 12-hour visories, including trajectory forecasts and flights at 80,000 feet in which payload re­ surface forecasts for launch and predicted covery is required. Reasonable probabili­ impact areas; communication, tracking, andties for acceptable conditions have been recovery services. predicted for all seasons of the year, with There will be standard telemetry and the best flight conditions expected during ground command systems for use by re­ the summer months, followed, in declining searchers using compatible flight equip­ order, by fall, spring, and winter projec­ ment. Cooperative programs with the tions. Its all-season capability was a major Federal Aviation Agency may ultimately factor in selection of the site. provide both radar beacon and skin tracking PROJECTED FACILITIES to locate balloon systems throughout their The site development plan has been flights. drawn so as to allow for the provision of The need for an improvement of balloon­ helium storage facilities, communication ing facilities was pointed out at a con­ and aircraft tracking support, launching ference of scientific balloon users held by aids, weather forecast service, recovery NCAR in December, 1960. There was assistance, and laboratory, shop, and office general agreement on a need to reduce space for visitors. Space is also available duplication of effort and to improve the for a bubble-inflation building designed to reliability of scientific ballooning, so as to permit safe and reliable inflation of heavy­ accelerate the progress being made by load balloon bubbles while shielding them balloon scientists in their effort to meet per­ from wind and weather. A geodesic dome formance demands of scientific research. is under consideration, as illustrated on The solution arrived at by the NCAR Bal­ pages 4 and 5 in an artist’s conception of loon Development Group, and endorsed by the Palestine site. With a down-wind open­ the NCAR Panel on Scientific Use of Bal­ ing, the geodesic design will permit the loons, an advisory group of balloon experts, launching of small and moderate-load sys­ was a National Balloon Program, with thetems from within the building shell. How­ all-year facility an integral part. ever, the exact configuration depends in FACTORS IN SELECTION part on test programs to develop improved Selection of the Palestine site followed heavy-load launch systems. an extensive survey of potential sites in all PALESTINE AIRPORT LAND parts of the United States. After consider­ The balloon flight station at Palestine ations of general climatological conditions, consists of 183 acres of a 400-acre city- local weather, probable flight trajectories, owned plot of land on which the municipal and airlane patterns had narrowed theairport is situated. The city has made the choice to northeastern Texas, southwestern 183-acre portion available to the National Arkansas, or northwestern Louisiana, Pales­ Science Foundation on a long-term basis tine was chosen for its optimum combina­ for scientific ballooning. Designation as a tion of conditions, with Federal Aviation permanent site depends upon Congressional Agency approval. approval. An analysis of flight conditions to be Palestine is about 100 miles southeast of expected at the site has been made by Dr. Dallas and about 150 miles northwest of Keith Giles and Dr. Adam B. Kochanski of Houston. the U. S. Weather Bureau, in a study NCAR has a limited number of copies of financed by the Office of Naval Research a detailed study of the projected Palestine for the Stratoscope II project. Included in site development that are available upon the analysis were probabilities of accept­ request to NCAR, Boulder, Colorado, SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING 3

THE FLIGHT RECORD Ozone and Water STARGAZER'S BLINK Studies Planned Hindered not only by an extended period of poor weather at the Chico, California A conference to plan a major field pro­ launch site but also by a succession of bal­ gram of the coordinated balloon-borne loon failures, flights of Project “Stargazer,” ozone and water vapor measurements of a directed by Dr. J. Allen Hynek of North­ number of different researchers will be held western University, have been suspended in the late summer of 1962. Detailed in­ until a reliable balloon vehicle has been formation on the planning conference will developed to carry a 4,000-pound manned be published in the next issue of “Scientific load to 80,000 feet. The 3.2-million-cubic- Ballooning.” foot balloon of 2-mil polethylene used by The series, to be flown in the spring of the Air Force failed during ascent on a 1963 from the NCAR Scientific Balloon number of flights. Flight Station at Palestine, Texas, will be conducted over a period of several weeks, MEXICALI WINDROSE not only to permit investigation of the varia­ An attempt to set new distance and flight tion in stratospheric ozone and water vapor duration records for manned balloons concentrations over a period of time but ended just over the border in Mexico on also to facilitate scheduling. 30 April. The flight was cleared from COMBINED PAYLOADS Brawley, California to ascend to 30,000 feet on a trajectory that would carry it over A variety of instrument systems, com­ Mexico and then curve east through Ari­ bined into multiple packages except when zona and New Mexico at flight altitude. the avoidance of interference requires The balloon was an apparent leaker andsimultaneous flights of single payloads, will did not rise above 17,000 feet. The three- be flown at altitudes of up to 130,000 feet. man crew, Cmdr. Ben Leavitt, Gordon Such a plan for comparing instrument sys­ Benson, and Kurt Stehling, terminated the tems may help to detect systematic errors flight 40 miles south of Mexicali after and to compare the relative sensitivity of 6/2 hours. Sponsor of the flight was the the several measurement techniques. “Saturday Evening Post.” NCAR will provide balloon vehicles for the participating groups who desire them, DOLLAR-PER-MILE BALLOONS and will also provide telemetry transmis­ A flight test of neoprene balloons was sion. conducted at Bedford, Massachusetts, on Scientists wishing to participate should 4 and 5 May as the first phase of an NCARcontact Vincent E. Lally at the National program to achieve 180,000-foot altitude Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder. capabilities with small payloads at rela­ tively low cost. Four prototype 2400-gram CORRIGENDUM Kaysam balloons were flown; they reached altitudes of 127,000, 130,000, 132,000 and In describing the Stratoscope II flight, 136,000 feet. The consistent performance the March issue of “Scientific Ballooning” indicates that 6,000-gram balloons using reported as follows: “The balloon, of the same polymers will achieve 150,000-foot 12,150 pounds gross weight. . . .” This, of average heights. With two-stage balloons course, was the weight of the total balloon and more elastic neoprene compounds, the system. The main balloon weighed in at 180,000-foot goal may be reached within 2,433 pounds, and the launch balloon, in­ the next two years. Flight performance was cluding valve, weighed 518 pounds. A monitored by AN/GMD-2 ranging equip­ Freudian lapse, perhaps, by an editor who ment provided by the Air Force Cambridge would like to see increased reliability Research Laboratories. through the use of cast-iron balloons. SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING 5

‘ ■■ ■ *

The balloon flight station and the run- rooms. Operations facilities in the building ways and buildings of the Palestine Munici­ will include a weather station and a com­ pal Airport are sketched here as they might munication center. look during a heavy-load balloon launching. Labeled (D) is the 85-foot-tall hexagonal From the public road at lower left, an ac­ “Stratoport” ivhich will be used for calibrat­ cess road leads past a parking area and theing the 36-inch telescope of the Stratoscope operations and. laboratory building (A) to II project. the asphaltic concrete launch apron (B) and The bubble-inflation dome (E) in the il­ its surrounding graded area (C). lustration is shown as a geodesic configura­ The operations and laboratory building tion that is now under consideration. A ivill provide central mechanical and electri­200-foot wind tower (F) would be instru­ cal shop space, a darkroom, a precision mented at various heights for meteorologi­ toork room, offices, a lounge area, and rest cal measurements. SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

Sporting With Hot Air Donald L. Piccard, Manager of Thermal UNTIED AT LAST Balloon Programs at Raven Industries, Inc., The return of the Montgolfiere is at last wrote the follotoing lighthearted descrip­upon us, however, at least for the sporting tion of hot air sporting balloons and bal­ balloonist. Raven Industries of Sioux Falls, looning. A confirmed balloormtic, Mr. Pic­ South Dakota, has now placed the com­ card is the son of Jean Piccard, widely mercial adaptation of the ONR-US Hot Air known as the developer of plastic balloons. Balloon on the market for the sportsman’s pleasure. Named in honor of the fire god, Perhaps only as comic relief, we should the “Vulcoon” can easily be taken by pas­ like to get away from “Scientific Balloon­ senger car to any desired location and pre­ ing” for a moment and delve into Hot Air! pared for ascension in a matter of minutes. To those who, as “the only servomechanisms Gone are the hours-long sequences of that can be mass produced by unskilled wrestling with sandbags, nets, wicker labor,” have had to go along with their baskets and the like. The accompanying instruments on a balloon flight, the romance photo shows one of these trim craft just and glamour of ballooning for fun has un­ being wafted away on a journey through doubtedly made itself quite apparent. the silent sky. ENTICING PORTABILITY THE TIE THAT BINDS Although in flight it is 40 feet in diameter Shortly after the first balloonists rose and stands some 50 feet high, when packed majestically over Paris, the Montgolfiere, a in the truck it is only as big as about two hot air balloon, was beaten soundly by its weeks’ wash for the average family. Carry­ early competitor, the Charliere, a gas bal­ ing along its own heat supply, a pair of loon. From that day on, balloonists were tanks of liquified propane gas, it is capable hobbled. They either operated from exist­ of several hours of flight at a time. The ing gas mains or, almost as prohibitive pilot simply adjusts his flame up or down to logistically, they operated with cylinders control the altitude of the whole vehicle. of compressed gas or equally expensive and Upon his final landing, he opens the top of cumbersome “portable” gas generators. The the balloon and discharges all the hot air old freedom of mobility of a bonfire was in a moment, wraps the balloon up and is gone. ready to use it again the next day the To you who believe that the picture weather is enticing. of a water launch that recently appeared in For years those balloonatics who have “Scientific Ballooning” was the first in his­ wanted to revive the traditional balloon tory, might we say only that you should races in this country have been stymied by have been in the 1950 International Balloon the cost. But now, already, we have an Race at Amsterdam, Holland. It wasn’t annual race for hot air balloons. Held in intended as a water launch operation, but conjunction with St. Paul Winter Carnival, some nineteen gas balloons were irrevo­ the race this year was won by the only cably tied by their umbilical cords to im­ amateur in the competition. Although the movable gas mains. If you consider the object was to land on a target, the winner’s rain and storms during balloon inflation nearest competitor landed at least a half and the way Holland is built, those bal­ mile away, and one aeronaut over-shot by loons that were launched were certainly at least five miles. He said he forgot his water launched! If only we had had the map! mobility of the Montgolfiere, then we all TYRO WINS RACE would have been much drier, for there was The winner, Tracy Barnes, a University high ground within a few feet. of Minnesota student, spotted his “Red SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

Owl" balloon down within just a few feet haps a “Scientific Ballooning” reader will of the target and became the first winner be the winner next year. You’ll have to win of the travelling “Jean Piccard Trophy for only three years in a row to keep the silver Thermal Balloons” presented by the de­ punch bowl, but the fun of the race itself veloper of the plastic balloon himself. Per­ should make the effort worthwhile. SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING

UPCOMING FLIGHTS titudes will be either 127,000 or 129,000 feet, and the flights will last from 10 to 15 "SKYHOOK" IN CANADA hours. For those of Dr. Anderson, the alti­ For about two and one-half months be­ tude will be 122,OCX) feet with about 10 ginning about 15 June, the Office of Naval hours of flight time. Research will sponsor some 20 “Project Skyhook” flights from Fort Churchill, Mani­ TELESCOPE TESTS toba, Canada. Raven Industries of Sioux The summer will also see a number of Falls, South Dakota, will conduct the flight tests of unmanned telescope systems. Dr. operations. Martin Schwarzschild will conduct another All the balloons to be used will be of test of the Stratoscope II balloon system in polyethylene and will be designed accord­ June. In addition, Dr. Alvin Howell of ing to the University of Minnesota formula. Tufts University and Dr. John Strong of Flight plans call for the use of two or three Johns Hopkins will fly their telescope sys­ 6-million-cubic-foot, 0.5-mil balloons; four­ tems during the summer months. teen to sixteen balloons of 3 million cubic feet volume and 0.75 mil thickness; and two balloons of 1 million cubic feet and 0.75 mil. Balloon Workshop Planned altitudes range between 120,000 and 150,000 feet; flight durations will be Plans Completed from eight to twenty hours, depending upon Plans for the summer workshop on the recovery projections. Trajectories during use of balloons for scientific measurements the operations will be westerly, with prob­ have now been completed. The course will able impact between 450 and 600 miles be held from 18 to 22 June, 1962 at Boul­ from Fort Churchill. der. Lecturers will be Leroy Bushay of Scientists taking part in the program are: Geophysics Corporation of America, John Dr. F. B. McDonald, Dr. D. E. Guss, and Borth of General Mills, Vincent Lally of Dr. T. L. Cline, all of the Goddard Space the National Center for Atmospheric Re­ Flight Center; Dr. Peter Meyer and Dr. search, Samuel Solot and Thomas Kelley of Rochus Vogt, both of the University of the Air Force Cambridge Research Labora­ Chicago; Dr. J. A. Earl, University of Min­ tories, Cliff Merrill of the G. T. Schjeldahl nesota; Dr. K. A. Anderson, University of Company, Russell Nidey of Kitt Peak Na­ California; and Dr. M. Kaplan, University tional Observatory, and John Sparkman of of Rochester. the Office of Naval Research. "SKYHOOK" IN THE U. S. Registrations for the workshop have been The ONR will sponsor eight additional closed. Detailed agenda have been mailed “Skyhook” flights from the Twin Cities area to the participants. of Minnesota during the summer. Partici­ The workshop proceedings will be pub­ pating scientists are Dr. J. A. Earl and Dr. lished this summer and will be mailed on K. A. Anderson. For Dr. Earl’s flights, al­ request to those interested.

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