NEWS
Ozone Plane Working with researchers at Harvard University, engineers at Aurora Flight Sciences in Alexandria, VA, have begun constructing a remote-controlled plane for studying the ozone hole over Antarctica. The pilotless plane, named Perseus, will reach altitudes as high as 25 km carrying instrument payloads of up to 50 kg for analyzing upper atmosphere constituents. "Such flights can gather the data we need to understand what controls the depletion of ozone over the polar regions," explains James Anderson, Harvard professor of atmospheric chemistry. The plane's construction is being directed by John Langford, who also developed Project Daedalus, the humanpowered aircraft that flew 120 km between the Mediterranean islands of Crete and Santorini. "The advantage of the plane," explains Langford, "is lower cost and increased scientific utility." At present, ozone researchers rely on balloon-carried instruments to collect in situ data at 25 km. The balloon payloads return by parachute but often are damaged or even lost in the process. Given the demand for more monitoring of the ozone hole, the plane should save money by eliminating the cost of replacing balloon payloads. The greater scientific utility results from the increased flexibility of the plane. According to Langford, weather and wind conditions are right to launch balloons on about 35% of the days, but the plane should be able to fly as much as 70% of the time. In addition, balloon-borne instruments only take measurements on the way down because of the balloon's initial outgassing. The plane, on the other hand, will collect data nearly continuously. Finally, the plane offers better control of location than do free-floating balloons. Like Project Daedalus, Perseus will be constructed with lightweight composite materials. The plane (see illustration) will be battery-powered and will have a 17.9-m wingspan and an aft-mounted propeller. Instrument payloads are simply bolted in and can be changed as required. The estimated $200,000 cost is being financed by the Weld Foundation. Perseus's maiden flight should occur later this year. Antarctica missions are expected to begin late in 1992—the region's spring season—when ozone levels have generally been at their lowest. The plane could also be employed to monitor greenhouse gases that may be collecting over midlatitude regions.
Cited Articles According to the latest survey by Science Citation Index, which covers the period from 1945 to 1989, three of the top 100 most cited articles were printed in ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. The three articles are a 1956 paper by Chen, Toribara, and Warner on the microdetermination of P;
another 1956 paper by Dubois, Gilles, Hamilton, Rebers, and Smith describing the coulometric method for determining sugars and related substances; and the Spackman, Stein, and Moore 1958 report of a system for continuousflow detection of amino acids. The most cited article is the 1975 introduction by Ames, McCann, and Yamasaki of a screening method for carcinogens and mutagens known as the Ames Test. The Ames article was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, which is the most cited publication in the list with 17 references. However, ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY'S three papers compared favorably with two for Science and one for the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
New NIST Director The U.S. Senate has confirmed physical chemist John Lyons as the ninth director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He succeeds Ernest Ambler, who retired last spring. Lyons received his A.B. degree from Harvard (1952) and his A.M. degree (1963) and Ph.D. (1964) from Washington University. After 18 years with Monsanto, he joined the then National Bureau of Standards as head of the Center for Fire Research in 1973. Lyons is the author of three books and the recipient of several awards, including the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive and the 1986 Edward Uhler Condon Award for his book Fire.
For Your Information The National Institute of Standards and Technology has just released Standard Reference Data Publications 1987-1989, which updates the 1964-1984 directory of publications and databases dealing with physical and chemical properties of substances prepared through the National Standard Reference Data System. For more information, contact Standard Reference Data Program, A323 Physics Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (301-975-2208). The National Science Foundation has announced that elementary school teachers are now eligible for Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching. Nominations should be sent by April 23 to: Elementary PAEMST, National Science Teachers Association, 1742 Connecticut Ave, N.W., Washington, DC 20009. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 62, NO. 7, APRIL 1, 1990 • 421 A
