Committee on Coordination of Cosmic‐ray Investigations

Abstract

This special Committee (consisting of Dr. Walter S. Adams, Dr. Fred E. Wright, and the author) was appointed in December 1932 by Dr. J. C. Merriam, then President of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, to consider coordination of possible continued support by the Institution of research on cosmic rays. Various conferences of the Committee and consultations with interested investigators who had submitted proposals for research in this field were held. The first report of the Committee was submitted in January 1933 with various memoranda regarding possible procedure and estimates of funds required for the year 1933.The Committee felt strongly that what may be called the geographical reconnaissance in cosmic‐ray research had yielded profitable results but that the principal need was more precise and continuous series of records at a selected number of stations (6 or 8). It seemed desirable that such stations should be well distributed both as regards latitude and longitude in order that the data obtained continuously and simultaneously at the various points for rather long periods might be subjected, to the most careful analysis from the statistical viewpoint. Thus the observations so far reported indicated features of the phenomena which, while infrequent and while differing materially from the majority of data obtained during short series, represented something definitely real. A correct interpretation of such features could not be expected from short series of observations at different seasons in different localities. Another feature was that of diurnal variation or change from day to night, regarding which available data were not conclusive, and which apparently could be thoroughly studied only through continuous photographic registration at several stations in high altitudes over long periods, supported by shorter series of continuous records at different altitudes in the neighborhood of the selected stations. In addition to continuous records at different altitudes at such fixed stations, it appeared desirable to augment data in the higher atmosphere, such as had been obtained by Regener in pilot‐balloons, by Millikan in airplanes, and by Kolhörster in manned balloons, although it is manifestly impossible to obtain continuous records for any great length of time at fixed altitudes by such means.