A New American Balloon Ascent into the Stratosphere

Abstract

FOLLOWING on the American ascent into the stratosphere last year recorded in NATURE of July 28, p. 132 and November 3, p. 707, 1934, careful inquiry has now shown that the mishap was caused by internal adhesions of the lower part of the balloon fabric. Plans for a new ascent are well advanced. The personnel of the advisory committee has been chosen by the National Geographic Society working in co-operation with the United States Army Air Corps, and once again Capts. A. W. Stevens and O. A. Anderson will ascend. It is gathered from the announcement by the president of the Society in the National Geographic Magazine of February 1935 that the arrangements will differ but little from those of last year's flight. The balloon will have the same capacity and the ascent will be made from the same place. No details are as yet available of the instruments that will be carried, but as the lifting power will be about six tons and as “special emphasis is to be placed on data that can be obtained from manned balloons capable of lifting standard laboratory instruments”, there is no doubt that every possible self-registering device that might supply information about the upper atmosphere and cosmic rays will be included. An advisory committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Lyman J. Briggs, director of the U.S. Bureau of Standards, is to be congratulated on the thoroughness of its investigations of the previous failure. The findings will be of greatest value to those who undertake future hazards.