Oct 27 1976
From The Space Library
Ames Research Center announced that 18 scientists representing eight institutions would fly on NASA's Galileo II airborne research laboratory on a 3-wk study of atmospheric pollution that would take them nearly pole to pole across the central Pacific Ocean, north to south. Between 28 Oct. and 19 Nov., the scientists in eight teams would measure changes in the upper atmosphere caused by jet aircraft exhaust and would investigate the effect on the upper atmosphere of fluorocarbons and halocarbons from aerosol sprays and other sources. The experiments at many latitudes from far north to far south would gather data in both northern and southern hemispheres to note changes in upper-atmosphere composition and pollutants between altitudes of 10.6 km and 12.1 km. Measuring would begin in Alaska, then proceed at Hawaii, Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. Observations near Hawaii would be coordinated with similar measurements at about 18-km altitude by NASA's earth-resources survey aircraft, also based at Ames.
The jet-pollutant study was part of a 4-yr cooperative effort between ARC and the Lewis Research Center, which had included experiment packages carried on jets operated by Pan American, United, and Qantas airlines; the Galileo II flights would measure pollution over remote areas not covered by commercial aircraft. The aerosol pollution measurements were part of a broader program by NASA and other agencies to ascertain the constituents of the upper atmosphere in a nonpolluted condition, in order to define changes with time in proportions of ozone, fluorocarbons, water vapor, carbon monoxide, and other compounds, and to determine whether such changes were manmade. Galileo II data from both types of measurements would be coordinated with data collected by NOAA stations in Alaska, Hawaii, and Samoa, as well as by stations of the meteorological services of Australia and New Zealand and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. (ARC Release 76-79)
The Soviet Union's earth satellites had added a new profession-that of printer-to those of meteorologist, cartographer, and communicator, the Tass news agency announced. A Molniya comsat tested in Khabarovsk had transmitted newspapers from Moscow to the Far East more economically and more rapidly than had been possible using the transcontinental cable. The high-resolution capability of the equipment had produced excellent images, the announcement said, adding that "papers received by Far Eastern subscribers will now be absolutely identical to those taken out of their letter boxes by the Moscovites." (FBIS, Tass Intl Service in Russian, 27 Oct 76)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
