197-200Since 1940, when Arthur Compton, ,Cesar M Lattes and their collaborators started measuring the cosmic rays in the region of Bauru, the Brazilian ballooning activities have been growing. The first important scientific campaign using stratospheric balloons took place in 1968 at INPE, Brazil, to study the precipitation of charged particles and X-rays in the upper atmosphere of the Brazilian magnetic anomaly region. Since then, an impressive number of scientific balloon flights were carried out through international co-operation. The development and construction of stratospheric balloons using polyethylene films manufactured in Brazil started in 1989. With the understanding and co-operation of the participating institutions UNICAMP, INPE and UNESP, a project for a permanent site for launching large balloons (1.5 million m3) is underway in the Bauru region. This Bauru Stratospheric Balloon Center would include a telemetry station, laboratories and test equipment, a meteorological station with a weather radar and an auto-tracking antenna receiver RD-67
