Study Of The Rocket Sounding Methods Of Measuring The Upper Atmosphere

Sounding rockets provided the first means to carry instruments to the outermost reaches of the Earth's atmosphere. They were, indeeed, our first space vehicles. As Mr. Corliss relates in this history, in this day of satellites and deep space probes, sounding rockets remain as important to space science as ever, furnishing our most powerful means for obtaining vertical profiles of atmospheric properties. NASA continues to depend on sounding rockets for research in astronomy, meteorology, ionospheric physics, exploratory astronomy, and other disciplines.

IENTIFIERS: Nike Cajun, Strongarm. The atmospheric and geophysical properties of theATMOSPHERE ABOVE 100 KM AND THEIR METHODS OF MEASUREMENT ARE DISCUSSED, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE INTERACTION OF THE SOUNDING VEHICLE WITH THE PROPERTIES BEING MEASURED. The economics of rocket sounding including considerations of trajectories, altitudes, vehicle speed and geographical location are discussed.

To explore the upper atmosphere man first used kites, then balloons, then aircraft. For many years balloons were the most effective means of obtaining direct measurements in the stratosphere. But they were limited in altitude, so scientists had to probe the ionosphere and other portions of the atmosphere beyond the stratosphere by indirect means. Sounding rockets provided the first means to carry instruments to the outermost reaches of the Earth's atmosphere. They were, indeed, our first space vehicles. As the author relates in this history, in this day of satellites and deep space probes, sounding rockets remain as important to space science as ever, furnishing our most powerful means for obtaining vertical profiles of atmospheric properties. NASA continues to depend on sounding rockets for research in aeronomy, meteorology, ionospheric physics, exploratory astronomy, and other disciplines. This monograph represents a first attempt at sketching the evolution and history of NASA sounding rockets. If it seems to be a Goddard Space Flight Center story, that is because NASA's sounding rocket program has been directed from that Center. The study is complicated by the great abundance of different vehicles, different governmental and private organizations, and by the many hundreds of NASA launchings since 1958. Original measurements were in the English system.

The report describes a rocket experiment designed to measure density and molecular scale temperature above 100 km by means of a free molecule flow analysis of the data. In addition, pressure, temperature, and density were measured in the lower atmosphere by conventional methods. A theoretical analysis under conditions of continuum and free-molecule flow is included. The desired atmospheric parameters are given in terms of the quantities measured by the rocket-borne instruments. The mechanical design of the payload, and the electronics and electrical system are discussed. The data is reduced and the atmospheric parameters based on the data are presented. The experiment is discussed and modifications are suggested to improve the experiment and obtain better data.

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