Chemical Engineering in the Stratosphere Tl)lT(JIL'S X O T l i : the fall 1933 I)r. sild Alrs..lean 1E, Piccard decided to their strat,mtat,fur fiiriiier rays, pi~rticiilarly to inteiisity nnd direction. study 111
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tieigtir. immters were cwried in the night. Ih-. Milliknil provided ai1 ioriiailtioii cliaiiiher which was shielded with 550 pnmds of lead shot. Tile instri~rricnt,swurked yl.ei1, so that froin a physical point view the flight was well worth while. The difference in the iiiterrsity of cosrrric rays at, angles of 30", (io", and 90" to the vertical were suceess?ull,v measured. The north-south and eastr\r.ed directions were recorded and the results are being tabulated. Before tl,e flight certain necessary alterations were made on the ballinn. The most important modification was the repiacenieot of the small appendix by a large one and the introduction of tile l'oesclielring, designed to keep the appendix
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The 2ieniikplieriral LCC above the cnrtii was to bi> obscrved by iiieaw of cosniir, ray tclewq,cs. For this purpox! a device 'IYUS used viiicli liad been iiiverited by Aiigusto l'iccard when lie repeated tlie Micliclqoii-~lorlcyesperiineiit on ether drift at high altitudes-i. e., the continuous rotatimi of the free tinlloon hy ineans of an electric irirrtor and propeller. The measurements of the direchion of cosiiiic rays were made in cdlahoratioii with I h s . Sivaiiii atid I.ockcr: 368
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This is tire first time a Pocschelring l i s beerr used in an hrncrican stratostat and tire ease with which tlie Piccards liaridled their balloon is proof of the valueof theopen appendix. The Piccards placed tlie work o? the ground crew in the ixperienced hands of E. J. Hill. This crew of some 200 men was cornposed of voliiiiteers recruited from engineers, students, arid busincss crecutix!s in 1)etroit. Tlie start mas the most delicate part of the u h l e enterprise and was very carefully prepared. I h Piccard lind worked for several years with nianiifacturers of explosives; tlie introduction of tile four cardinal ropes to lioId the load centered and the severing of tlieseroim . In,"Mast,inewit11T. N. T. contributed lareelv to the succcssfi~lstart. This flight of I)r. mid Mrs. Piccard i s from a scientific m i n t of view tile most sorcessfnl ascent into the American stratosphere. From ail ;monautical point of v i m it is noteworthy in being tlir only American stratospliere flight during which the pilot eapericiiced no dificiilty of control. The valve and cord wore ront,iniiously free and nsahle. TIE balloon at no tiriie :it,t;iiried widire vertical speeds altliough the cloud tliriiiiglr w l i i ~ t~i v~ landing l~ liad to be made forrned a serious
