Some new methods for planetary exploration

For many centuries the planets of our solar system have been objects of study by astronomers. Before the invention of the telescope, these studies were restricted to an attempt to understand and predict their motion. Telescopes and accurate clocks allowed more precise observations to be made. By the 19th century, minor perturbations of the motions of the planets were being analyzed. By the end of this century, however, astronomers were becoming more interested in stellar and galactic problems, and the group interested in celestial mechanics and planetary observations appeared to be decreasing to a vanishing point in the mid-20th century. Then came the space program, and the possibility of performing experiments on, or at least near, other planets encouraged interest in the solar system to a remarkable degree

Exploration of the moon and planets

Unmanned interplanetary flight - engineering problems of mariner ii space prob

The Radio Sonde

The radio sonde has been developed in recent years as a practical instrument for transmitting information from the stratosphere. This paper discusses some of the problems connected with the application of the radio-sonde principle to the radio meteorograph and also to the cosmic-ray radio sonde

Space programs summary no. 37-32, volume iii for the period january 1, 1965 to february 28, 1965. deep space network

Network system for communication and control of spacecraft on deep space exploration mission

Results of a High Altitude Cosmic-Ray Survey Near the Magnetic Equator

Electroscope and Geiger counter observations have been taken with free balloons at geomagnetic latitudes of 3°, 17°, and 25°N. The most important results are as follows: (1) The Geiger counter technique with a single counter will give results very close to those obtained with the electroscope and of comparable accuracy. (2) Vertical coincidence measurements give rise to markedly different values for the relative amounts of incident energy at various latitudes, as compared with the electroscope or single counter data. (3) Within the experimental error, no difference was obtained between the vertical coincidence curves at 3° and 17°, and thus no new energy lies in the primary energy spectrum between the limits of 17 and 15 Bev. (4) This is direct evidence for a banded structure in the primary cosmic-ray spectrum. (5) Flights made with triple and quadruple coincidences, and also with counters arranged to record showers, showed that showers do not significantly affect the vertical coincidence measurements

Countdown to space exploration: A memoir of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1944 - 1958

Projects of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory leading to and including development of the Sargent guided missiles are discussed

A note on the production of cosmic-ray showers

The cosmic-ray showers, which are shown so beautifully in the counter controlled cloud chamber,(1) have been investigated by numerous observers. The method in general has consisted in putting three Geiger counters below a thin plate of heavy material. The counters are usually arranged so that three particles emerging simultaneously from the plate are required to register a coincidence. Hence a shower will consist of at least three particles associated in time

The geographical variation of the cosmic-ray showers

In an effort to determine whether the radiation responsible for the cosmic-ray showers is affected by the earth's magnetic field, observations were taken in the summer of 1935 on a voyage across the Pacific to New Zealand and return. A triple coincidence recording apparatus was built in a form that could be used on ship board. The high voltage for the counters was supplied by batteries while the amplifier was connected to operate on 100 volts a.c. or d.c. The counters used were about 2.5 cm in diameter and 14 cm long. They were filled with a mixture of 80 percent argon and 20 percent air to a pressure of 5 cm