Air-sampling package awaits launch of the balloon

An air-sampling package awaits launch of the balloon which will carry it to an altitude of more than 100,000 feet.  When the frozen air sample is returned to the laboratory, it will be chemically analyzed for trace constituents.  The complex chemistry of the stratosphere is controlled by substances present in a few parts per million or even parts per billion. The program seeks to determine what the present composition of the stratosphere is, how much it is perturbed by natural forces, and then to predict the effect of supersonic aircraft operations., Credit Line: AIP Emilio Segrè Visual  Archives, Physics Today Collection
Abstract/Description: An air-sampling package awaits launch of the balloon which will carry it to an altitude of more than 100,000 feet. When the frozen air sample is returned to the laboratory, it will be chemically analyzed for trace constituents. The complex chemistry of the stratosphere is controlled by substances present in a few parts per million or even parts per billion. The program seeks to determine what the present composition of the stratosphere is, how much it is perturbed by natural forces, and then to predict the effect of supersonic aircraft operations.
Subject(s): Equipment and supplies
Environment
Credit Line: AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection
Catalog ID: Environment F2