Barium Ion Cloud

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NA TIO NA L AERONAUTICS AN D SPACE A DMINISTRATION W O 2-4155WASHINGTON,D.C. 20546 TELS* WO 3-6925

ELEASE: WEDNESDAY A .MA p r i l 1 4 , 1971

R E L E A S E N O : 7 1 - 6 1

CT: B A R I U M C L O U D L A U N C H

contents

T R A C K I N G & DA TA A C Q U I S I T I O N SYSTEMS-------------------- 11N B S H OU RL Y T A P E D ANNOUNCEMENTS------------------------- 1 2P R O J E C T O F F I C I A L S AN D PR OG RA M MAN

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I(PAGES)I,,(NASA CR OR TMX OR AD NUMBER) 69(CODE)rn(CATEGORY)

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NA TIO NA L AERONAUTICS AN D SPACE ADMINISTRATION (202) 962-4155WASHINGTON,D .c. 2 0 5 4 TELS: (202) 963-6925

A p r i l 1 4 , 1971RELEASE NO : 71-61

GERMAN-U.S. CLOUD EXPERIMENT

The German Fe d e r a l M i n i s t r y f o r S c i e n t i f i c R esea rc h(BMBW) an d t h e U . S . Na ti on al Aer ona utic s and Space Adminis-t r a t i o n a re coop era t ing i n an expe r iment aimed a t e j e c t i n gi n t o s p a c e a chemical which w i l l produce a glowing, bariumion c loud abou t 2 0 ,0 0 0 m i l e s above t h e E a r t h .

If s u c c e s s f u l l y l au n ch ed t h e c l o u d w i l l b e v i s i b l e tot h e n ak ed e y e f o r 1 5 to 2 0 minutes a f t e r r e l ea se o f t h ebarium as a f i rs t -m a gn i tu d e o r b r i g h t s t a r over most o f t h eWestern Hemisphere t h e n i g h t o f A p r i l 2 0 .

A S co ut r o c k e t f u r n i s h e d b y NASA i s schedu led to l i f to f f f rom Wal lops I s l an d , VA, between 7 and 9 p.m. EST andabout t h r e e and one-half ho urs l a t e r t h e barium payload w i l lb e e j e c t e d 2 0 , 0 0 0 m i l e s above C en tr al America ( ? O N - 75"W)to form a very t h i n or wi d e l y- d i spe r se d i o n i z e d cl o u d a b ou t1 0 , 0 0 0 m i l e s (17 ,000 k i l om e te r s ) long which can on l y b ed e t e c t e d by s e n s i t i v e g ro un d an d a i r b o r n e i n s t r u m e n t s .

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Both German and U.S. s c i e n t i s t s a t o b se rv a t io n s i t e s i nNorth and South America w i l l use spec ia l camera equipmentto view i t . I n a d d i t i o n , a NASA Convair 990 a i r c r a f t w i l lobse rve t h e c loud on a f l i g h t co r r id or between Bermuda andt h e e a s t e r n U n it ed S t a t e s . W eather c o n d i t i o n s a t t h e v a r i o u ss i t e s must be c l e a r , or e x p e c t e d to be c l e a r , d u r i n g t h eviewing t ime to p e r m i t t h e l a u n c h .

The payload o f 36 pounds of barium-ccpper oxide mixtur ew i l l be re l e as ed between 10:QO p . m . and 12:30 a . m . E S T , de-pend ing on the ac tua l t ime o f l a u n c h d u r i n g t h e p e r i o dA p r i l 20-28. I f t h e we a t h e r i s b a d , ano the r l aunch a t t e m p tw i l l be made i n t h e May 18-27 per iod.

The purpose of t he expe r iment i s to s t u d y t h e b e h a v i o ro f a bar ium i on c loud a t h i gh a l t i t u d e s . At l o w e r a l t i t u d e s ,t h e c l o u d i s moved by e l e c t r i c and m ag ne ti c f i e l d s and canbe used to map them i n much t h e same w ay as i r o n f i l i n g s a r eused t o map th e magn etic f i e l d l i n e s a r o u n d a magnet. A th ig he r a l t i t u d e s i t i s b e l i e v e d t h a t t h i s can a l s o be donei f t h e c l o u d can b e observed f o r long enough to "se t t l e down ' :a f t e r t h e i n i t i a l ex pl os iv e r e l e as e .

A s t h e b a ri um i o n s d i s t r i b u t e t h e ms el ve s a l o n g am ag netic f i e l d l i n e i n a l o n g v i s i b l e c l o u d, p h ot o gr a ph s w i l lp e r m it v i s u a l m apping o f t h e e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c f o r c e s a c t i n g i nt h e a r e a i n w hich t h e parium i s r e l e a s e d .

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-3-The p o s i t i o n an d m o ti on s o f t h e c loud can be determined

a t s u c c e s s i v e i n s t a n t s by t r i a n g u l a t i o n from t h e w i d e l ys e p a r a t e d o b s e r va t i o n s t a t i o n s . The s t r e n g t h and o r i e n t a t i o nof t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d v e c to r s a l s o may be c a l c u l a t e d f r o mt h e s e data .

These t echn iques can b e used t o measure both magneticand e l e c t r i c a l f i e l d s i n s p ac e an d t o s tud y plasma phys i c se f f e c t s n ot p o s s i b l e i n t h e l a b o r a to r y . The bar ium expe r i -ment can a l s o s im ula t e t h e i n t e r a c t i o n o f t h e s o l a r windw i t h an ionized comet t r a i l .

S c i e n t i f i c s t u d i e s t o b e performed w i l l i n c l u d e :1. A s t u d y o f t h e expansion of t h e i o n i z e d c l o u d a n dt h e d ev elo pm en t o f f i n e s t r u c t u r e s u ch as b a r s o r r i p p l e si n t h e c loud as n o te d i n e a r l i e r e xp er im e nt s.2 . A s t ud y of p h y s i c a l e f f e c t s o f t h e c loud on i t sm a g ne t osp h er i c e n v ir o nm e n t, i n p a r t i c u l a r , on t h e magnet icf i e l d . (For t h i s purpose , a magnetometer system i s p a r to f t h e p a y l o a d . )3 . A s t u d y o f t h e d e f o r m a t io n and d i s i n t e g r a t i o n of t h ec l ou d i n t h e l a t e phase of i t s l i f e t i m e - t h e way i tchan ges i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e su rro un din g medium, can not b er e p r od u c e d i n t h e l a b o r a t o r y .

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-4-S p e c i a l o p t i c a l o b s e rv a t io n s i t e s h a v e b e e n se l e c t e d

i n areas where favorab le weather p a t t e r n s are l i k e l y toe x i s t . They are l o c a t e d i n A r iz on a a nd N e w Mexlco i n t h eUni ted S t a t e s , and near L a Se r e n a , C h i l e and Arequipa , Perui n S ou th America. A d d i t i o n a l da ta w i l l a l s o b e o b t a i n e df r o m e x i s t i n g g r o u n d based g e o p h y s i c a l i n s t r u m e n t s a n do r b i t i n g s a t e l l i t e s .

The barium r e l ea s e t e c h n i q u e was p i o n e e r e d by P r o f e s s o rReimar Lus t , Di re c t o r o f t h e Max-Planck- I n s t i t u t fo rE x t r a t e r r e s t r i a l P hy si cs , ( M P E ) Munich. It has been success -f u l l y u se d i n n umerous so u nd i ng r o c k e t e x p e ri m e n ts a t a l t i t u d e sup t o 600 m i l e s . I n March 1 9 6 9 , a s u c c e s s f u l r e l e a s e o f s i xpounds of barium was made b y MPE from t h e European SpaceR es ear ch S a t e l l i t e HEOS-1, a t about 46,000 m i l e s ( 7 4 , 0 0 0 k m )a l t i t u d e .

The St an da rd Frequency and Time Se rv ic e o f t h e N a t i o n a lBureau of Standards w i l l t r a n s m i t h o u r l y a t a p e d 45-secondannouncement f o r as t ronome rs beginnin g one week b ef or e laun ch.The announcements, g i v i ng info rma t ion on t h e p r o j e c t , w i l lb e t r a n s m i t t e d b y s t a t i o n s WWV and WWVH t h r e e t o f o u r m i n u t e sa f t e r t he hour on 2 . 5 5 Megahertz (MHz) , 1 0 MHz, 15 MHz and20 MHZ.

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-5-Under t h e terms o f t h e coopera t ive agreement , BMBW i s

p r o v i d i n g t h e payload and NAS A t h e Scout ro ck e t . Eacho r g a n i z a t i o n i s p r o v i d i n g o b se r v a t i o n a n d data a c q u i s i t i o ni n s t r u m e n t a t i o n i n s u pp o r t of i t s p a r t i c u l a r s c i e n t i f i ci n t e r e s t s . NASA w i l l c o n d u c t l a u n c h o p e r a t i o n s a n d p r o v i d et r ac ki ng and communicat ions s e r v ic es . Each agency w i l l b e a rt h e c o s t o f i t s r e s p ec t i ve r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .

T h e r e s u l t s o f t h e o b s e r v a t i o n s w i l l be s h a r e d b y b o t hNASA and BMBW, who w i l l p u b l i s h t h e i r r e s u l t s a nd make themava i l ab le t o t h e sc i e n t i f i c c o m m u n i t y .

MPE d e s i g n e d a n d b u i l t t h e payload. The Sc o u t r o c k e tp r o j e c t i s under t he d i r e c t management of L a n g l e y ResearchCenter, Hampton, VA, and i s b u i l t by LTV Aerospace Corp.,Dal la s .

The Sc ou t l a u n c h v e h i c l e i s a f o u r- s ta g e s o l i d p r o p e l l a n tr o c k e t s y s t e m .

Its f o u r m o to rs -- Algol 11, C a s t o r 11, Anta res 11,and A l t a i r I11 -- are i n t e r l o c k e d w i t h t r a n s i t i o n s e c t i o r , st h a t c o n t a i n g u id an ce , c o n t r o l , i g n i t i o n a nd i n s t r u m e n t a t io ns y s t e m s , s e p a r a t i o n s y s t e m s and t h e sp in motors needed t os t a b i l i z e t h e f o u r t h s t a g e . C o n tr o l i s ach ieved b y ae ro-dynamic surfaces , j e t vanes and hydrogen peroxide j e t s .

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The l a u n c h v e h i c l e i s approx ima te ly 7 3 f e e t ( 2 2 . 2 5meters) long and weighs about 4 0 ,0 0 0 pounds ( 1 7 ,1 4 4 k i l o g r a m s)a t liftoff.

(END O F GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS)

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EventL i f t o f fF i r s t s t a g e b ur no utSecond s tage i g n i t i o nSecond s t a ge burnoutT h i r d s t age i g n i t i o nT h i r d s t age burnoutSpin-upT h i r d s t age s e p a r a t i o nF ou rt h s t a g e i g n i t i o nFo u r t h s t a g e b u rn o utBarium r e l e a s e

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

T i m e ( s e c . )0 . 0 068.4768.47108.83113.83150.52164.17165.67170.52205 99

12,843.70

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OPTICAL OBSERVATION SITES FOR THE BARIUM ION CLOUD EXPERIMENT

Max-Planck-Institut

LocationKitt Peak NationalObservatory, Tucson

Latitude Longitude Elevation (ft)31O57'N 11lo36'W 8,750

7Oo44'Wuropean Southern Observatory 290161sLa Silla Peak, La Serena, ChileNational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Location Latitude Longitude

7, 72

Elevation (ft)Smithsonian Astrophysical 3141'N 11Oo43'W 7,820Observatory, Baker-NunnSatellite Camera SiteMt. Hopkins, A2White Sands Missile RangeWhite Sands, NM 32'25'N 106~33w 5,412Smithsonian AstrophysicalSatellite Camera SiteArequipa, PeruObservatory, Baker-Nunn 16O287s 7lo3 O1W 8,060

3010'S 7Oo4g'W 7,200erro Tololo Inter-AmericanObservatory, La Serena, ChileThe NASA CV-990 High Altitude Research Aircraft (NASA-711)will be instrumented and operated in a corridor between Bermudaand Wallops Station as an airborne optical observation site.Flight altitude will be 35,000 feet or higher.In addition to the prime observations, data will also be

obtained from observers at or near the Great Whale GeophysicalStation, Great Whale River, Canada, operated by the NationalResearch Council of Canada, and from a similarly instrumentedsite at Byrd Station, Antarctica, operated by the U. S. NationalScience Foundation.

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-9-The cloud may be viewed throughout the Western Hemisphereand England, weather permitting, by looking in the relativedirections below.Washington, DCBermuda

Tucson

Los Cruces, NMMiamiLondonQuito, Ecuador

Santiago, Chile

Arequipa, Peru

Los AngelesDetroit

HoustonSeattle

Rochester, NYDenver, CO

Elevation: 53"Azimuth: 180"Elevation: 58"Azimuth: 203"Elevation: 42"Azimuth: 1180Elevation: 45"Azimuth: 124"Elevation: 66"Azimuth: 160"Elevation: 6"Azimuth: 262"Elevation: 80"Azimuth: 025"Elevation: 43"Azimuth: 353"Elevation: 62"Azimuth: 351"Elevation: 34"Azimuth: 114"Elevation: 48"Azimuth: 166"Elevation: 55"Azimuth: 136"Elevation: 25"Azimuth: 119"Elevation: -48"Azimuth: 176"Elevation: 41"Azimuth: 132"

above the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horlzonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true north

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Oklahoma City

Boston

Helena, MTFort Churchill,CanadaWinnipeg, Canada

Natal, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

Elevation:Azimuth :Elevation :Azimut :Elevation:Azimuth :Elevation:Azimuth:Elevation:Azimuth :Elevation:Azimuth:Elevation:Azimuth :

49"139"48"187"31"129"28"157"36"149"42O75O34"58"

above the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonf r o m true northabove the horizonf r o m true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true northabove the horizonfrom true north

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NASA

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ManagersBMBW-

R o b e r t E. Carr Werner BachschmidtHead, Optical Systems Section Max-Planck-InstitutPayload Systems Engineers

Electronic SystemsH o r s t HippmannMax-Planck-InstitutMechanical SystemsJacob StoeckerMax-Planck-Inst itut

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TimeT minus 1 week

Launch DayT minus 4 hours

Launch DayT p l u s 1 hour

Launch DayT p l u s 4 hours

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NBS HOURLY TAPED ANNOUNCEMENTS

Confi rmat ion o f r e l e a s e .

1.2.

Beginning d a t e o f launch window.T i m e i n t e r v a l i n w hich r e l ea sei s e x p e c t e d .

3.1.2.

1.2.

3.

Nominal r e l e a s e p o s i t i o n .Nominal launch t i m e .Nominal r e l e a s e t ime andp o s i t i o n .N o t i f i c a t i o n o f l aunch .P r e d i c t e d p ri ma ry r e l e a s e t i m ea n d p o s i t i o n .T i m e a nd p o s i t i o n o f b ac ku p t i m e ra c t u at e d r e l e a s e .

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-13-PROJECT OFFICIALS AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

The NASA/MPE Barium Ion Cloud Project is a joint venture ofthe Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Wissenschaft (BMBW) of theFederal Republic of Germany and the National Aeronautics andSpace Administration. Overall responsibility for programdirection is under NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications(OSSA) and for BMBW the Max-Planck-Institut fur Physik undAstrophysik, Institut fur Extraterrestrische Physik.

Program ManagersNASA BMBW

John R. Holtz, OSSA (Payload) Professor Reimar LustRaymond Miller, OSSA (Payload) Director, Max-Planck-Paul E. Goozh, OSSA (Scout) Institut fur Physik andW. Corlett Galvin, Office of AstrophysikTracking and Data Acquisition Institut fur ExtraterrestrischePhysik8046 Garching bei Munchen,West Germany

Program ScientistsNASA BMBW

Dr. Erwin R. Schmerling, OSSA Prof sor Reimar L u s tProject Managers

NASA BMBWW. A. BrenceProject Management SectionWallops StationRoland D. English (Scout)Langley Research Center

Hans NeussMax-Planck-Tnstitut

Project ScientistsNASA BMBW

David Adamson Dr. Gerhard HaerendelHead, Interplanetary and Max-Planck-InstitutMagnetospheric Physics SectionLangley Research Center

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Barium Ion Cloud