view Abstract Citations References Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Astrophysical projects in the high altitude rocket program. Hynek, J. A. Abstract The firing of captured German V-2 rockets at the Army test field at White Sands, New Mexico, has provided an opportunity for astrophysicists to send aloft, to altitudes of 100 miles and over, laboratory equipment in the rocket war head, normally used for explosives. Several groups of physicists and astronomers are cooperating in the scientific part of this program. The main emphasis in the program is given to cosmic ray research, but of primary interest to astronomers is the incorporation in the rockets of spectrographs employing lithium fluoride optics. With these it is hoped to extend the observed solar spectrum to Ni5oo or below. One of the spectrographs scheduled to be fired is designed to give a dispersion of 50 A/mm; recording is on film strips affixed to a rotating decagonal cylinder, itself encased in a steel cassette. Observation of sky brightness and the production of artificial meteors at various heights in the atmosphere is also scheduled. To the time of writing, in only one flight has it proved possible to recover any of the equipment and records. New techniques of recovery, however, promise success in the near future of recovery of the film cassettes if not of the spectrographic and other equipment, which can be considered expendable. Perkins Observatory, Delaware, Ohio. Publication: The Astronomical Journal Pub Date: February 1947 DOI: 10.1086/105962 Bibcode: 1947AJ.....52..125H full text sources ADS |