Show Strat Stra Stratosphere 10 o sphere Balloon t A k IQs P r Die t to 0 f I tt V. V t b Major Kepner and Captain Stevens Steven Talk It Over I pr by National Ional onal a s Society pK Washington ash nl I D. D C C. Service on the worlds world's largest Tree Iree free balloon balloon which will be used In the National Geographic Geographic Geographic Geo Geo- graphic United Society States Army Air corps stratosphere sphere flights Is well veil under way at the way Goodyear Zep pello Zep corporations corporation plant at Akron Ohio The The baUo balloon makers will use two and two and acres of ot cotton fabric Impregnated with rubber In constructing construct construct- ing the bag and It Will have a capacity of cubic feet of ot gas When the balloon rises from the earth only partly parUl Inflated It will be shaped like a gigantic exclamation point with the round gondola representing representing the period As the gondola leaves the ground the top of the bagwill bag bagwill will be 29 feet above It It it- approximately matell the height of ot at a story 27 office buildIng When the bag becomes become spherical In the thin air of the stratosphere stratosphere stratosphere strato strato- sphere It will be large enough to enclose enclose enclose en en- close an story 11 building of normal height and of equal width The assent In which it Is hoped to reach the highest point to which ItIs itis It ItIs Is practicable for a balloon to lift a aman aman aman man will be made In ID the United States The purpose of the flight Is la to clear problems of the upper air that are Ire still puzzling to science It Is estimated estl esti mated that It will rise to a height of more than 15 miles above sea level le The first ascent will be made InJune inJune In InJune June by bl Capt Albert W. W Stevens noted aerial observer and photographer of the army air corps who conceived the project and MaJ William Kepner balloon expert of the army air corps If U this flight Is successful the same balloonists will make a second ascent In to September In order to check observations observations observations ob ob- under similar conditions Scientists to Give Aid Ald To advise In regard to the scientific tide plans and equipment and to direct dl- dl di dl studies of the data collected Dr Gilbert Grosvenor president of the Rational Geographic society has formed a committee of outstanding American scientists Its members are Dr Lyman J. J Briggs director United States bureau of standards chairman Dr F. F F V V. V Coville United States Department Department De De- Department of Agriculture Gen Oscar Westover assistant chief United States Army Air corps Capt R. R S. S Patton director United States coast and geodetic survey Dr W. W F. F G. G Swann Bartol Research foundation I Franklin Institute Swarthmore Pa ls Dr Floyd K department of physics Cornell university and member research council American Association for the Advancement o of f Science Dr Charles E. E K director dl di rector research laboratory Eastman Kodak company Dr Charles F. F Marvin Marfin Mar fin vin chief of United States weather r bureau and Dr John Oliver La Gorce National Geographic society The huge balloon to be used In the e ascents will have a gas capacity five e times that of the bag In which Commander Commander Com mander Settle established his bis mile 11 e record last November and nearly three and half and times that of the Soviet balloon which In September rose nearly nearly near near- ly 17 12 miles above the earth The exact point at which the balloon bal bat loon will take to the air has not been beer selected elected but It will probably be In th the e northern great plains region Such a choice It Is pointed out will give ghe ampie ample am pIe room for drift to the northeast f east ast east or southeast and a landing I In Open P n country so 80 that the bag can b be e salvaged aged The completed plans for the flights flight s are re due to the efforts of Captain Stevens who has gathered data d du dur rIng r r- ing lag the past eleven months directed d toward the use In str stratosphere flight of f the largest balloon which It it is pm t to construct and an ascent t to the highest point to which It Is be be- lIe pd possible for man to rise In a ga gas s bag with hope of a safe landing Tit The i e mere attainment of altitude however Is w not a primary object of the ascents It Is desired to reach the greatest at at- tamable height above the earth In order or or- der that conditions a there car caf T ob ob- served Steven Stevens Hat Has Experience Captain Stevens has penetrated the lower levels of the stratosphere by bl airPlane air air- Plane Diane on numerous occasions and also bas baa served as observer on a number w ot army balloon ascensions Durin n his high altitude hau flying he has bas col col- much scientific data In a flight lie fie Over T Dayton Ohio In October 1028 reached an altitude of ot feet fee of and a obtained the on only 11 complete record to thermometer readings ever madeth made America showing on the same day th Die e temperature gradient In is the region Ston from the earth to the strata strato sphere Other such records of ot temperatures temperatures temper temper- from the earth to an altitude of approximately feet Is II one of the objectives of the 1034 ascents Such data will be extremely valuable i In n weather studies Another project of Importance will be lie the trapping of samples of stratosphere stratosphere strato strato- sphere air at several levels These specimens will be analyzed and studied later In n physical and chemical labora lab lab- ora oratories The preliminary agenda for scientific data to be collected during the ascent contains 14 other Items varying from high level photography and the ascertainment of the electrical condition condition condi condi- tion of the air at various levels to cosmic ray rcy studies and efforts to determine determine de de- determine termine ozone concentration The mysterious ozone layer of the upper air which some scientists assert la is all that saves life lie on off the earth from destruction destruction destruction de de- by bl ultra ultra short short light rays Is la I thought to lie He far above the highest i point that can be reached by bT a manned balloon It Is hoped however that evidences evidences evidences evi evi- dences of an Increasing ozone content of the air can be detected 15 miles up In order to house the many Instruments Instruments ments menta and automatic recording devices devices devices de de- vices that will be taken aloft the balloon balloon balloon bal bal- I loon will have attached to It a spherical cal gondola of light metal eight feet I four Inches In diameter This diameter diameter diame diame- ter Is one foot and a third greater than that of the gondolas used by Professor Professor Professor Pro Pro- fessor and Commander Settle and will provide a cubic capacity more than twice as great The Instruments many of them designed designed de de- designed signed and modified by Captain Stevens as a result of ot trials during high altitude altitude alti alti- I tude flights will be largely automatic I leaving observer and pilot free to take up the many activities In the gondola that will wll require require attention A number of tiny cameras using picture motion-picture film will automatically and tirelessly read dials and clock faces simultaneously simul at frequent Intervals ls Kepner's Kepner Fine Record MaJ William E. E Kepner lepner who will pilot the stratosphere balloon Is one e of ot the outstanding balloon pilots of th the e United States army lie He served In the th e World war In the Infantry and wa was s decorated by bl both the American an and d French rench armies for exceptional services He Ile holds four medals medal Legion of Honor Croix de Guerre with Palm aim Distinguished Service Cross and Good Conduct Medal United States Marine corps He tIe has been an officer of the theair theaIr theair air corps since 1 1020 20 and holds the aeronautical ratings of airplane pilot airplane observer airship pilot and balloon pilot and observer lie Ito was wall winner of both the national and the International balloon races In 1 1028 1029 28 receiving the Litchfield trophy and the King Albert of ot Belgium trophy lie He was a classmate of Commander Rosendahl of the Los Angeles and of Commander Settle for three years at Lakehurst Major Kepner holds a naval certificate as rigid airship pilot He served on the Los Angeles as as- as navigator and received trainIng training train train- Ing from the German Zeppelin crew lie He commanded the RS 1 semi rigid airship In n l 1028 1027 and was th the first to pilot an as all metal airship In 1 1029 29 Captain Stevens has made Innumerable able high altitude photographs some of them by the use of ot red Infra-red ray rays a showing mountain peaks more than miles from the camera Two of ot othis his bra photographs of extraordinary Interest Interest In ln terest to geographers and astronomers are unique One taken from a plane I feet feet over over central Argentina Is the first photograph ever made showIng show show- Ing lag laterally the curvature e of the earth The other made marIe at an an altitude of ot of 2 feet feet over over southern Maine In August 1032 1332 Is the on only photograph only 11 photograph graph which shows shown the advancing front front of the the- mo on the earth earth during dur ing tag an eclipse of the sun ann |