THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS OF AURORA AND RELATED PHENOMENA.
Abstract
An ultrasensitive microbarograph was developed for use in an experimental investigation of extraterrestrial shock waves incident on the lower atmosphere. These instruments have a full scale sensitivity of less than one dyne/sq cm and a frequency range from DC to approximately 10 cycles/sec. High altitude balloon flight tests indicate that these microbarograph perform properly; nevertheless, the experimental program had to be abandoned since the small osciallatory motions of the balloons at floating altitudes cause pressure fluctuation which were orders of magnitudes larger than those associated with the physical phenomenon under investigation (0.01 to 0.001 dynes/sq cm). Optical studies of an artificially induced sodium cloud in the upper atmosphere by means of a Fabry-Perot Interferometer were undertaken. The object of this investigation was to determine vertical temperature profiles from an observation of the Doppler broadening of the sodium D-lines. This effort was unsuccessful due to insufficient radiation intensity for the detector employed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0616926
Entities
People
- Richard T. Bettinger