FOR PRESS 9.44

*

BALLOON LAUNCHING PROGRAMME FOR UPPER ATMOSPHERIC RESEAROH

Statement by the Minister for Supply, Senator Denham Henty

The Minister for Supply, Senator Denham Henty today

announced an extension of the upper atmospheric balloon flight

programme of the Department of Supply*

He said: "My Department has operated a balloon launching .

site at Mildura, Victoria, for almost six years on behalf of the

United States Atomic Energy Commission. Under this programme,

known as Project Hibal, balloons have been launched monthly to monitor

the level of radio activity in the upper atmosphere."

The Minister referred to a recent exchange of notes

between the Governments of the United States and Australia

extending Project Hibal for a further three years. Provision

was made for operations at selected sites other than Mildura and

for the facilities to be used for balloon flights for other agencies

in support of basic research into atmospheric phenonema.

United States authorities such as the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration (on whose behalf the Department of Supply

operates a number of space tracking stations throughout Australia)

and other research organisations (generally universities) have been

flying balloons from a number of launching sites in the United

States and elsewhere. Several such bodies are interested in

extending to the Southern Hemisphere their research into cosmic

rays, x-rays, gamma rays, infra-red and ultra-violet radiation,

neutrons and other particles present in the upper atmosphere *

Australian universities and the C.S.I.R.O. have taken

advantage of the Hibal project in the past to further their own

research in these fields, normally flying only small experiments

on regular Hibal balloon: flights. They will also have the

opportunity to participate in the expanded programme. The R.A.A.F.

Academy at the University of Melbourne has received a two year

contract from the U.S.A.E.C. providing for surplus Hibal balloons

to be launched from Mildura at the rate of one to two per month to

further the University’s meteorological studies in the stratisphere.

The University of Adelaide will be associated with the United States

Graduate Research Center of the South Vest in a series of five balloon

launches in the next few months to investigate x-rays.

Plastic balloons up to 10 cubic million feet capacity

(approximately 310 feet diameter) carrying payloads up to 600

pounds will be launched to altitudes as high as 140,000 feet.

Flights will be up to 12 hours duration and some will take place

at night. All flights are strictly controlled and supervised, and

close liaison is maintained with the Department cf Civil Aviation



Ã¢ÂÂ¦

and the .Bureau of Meteorology. The balloons are followed by

a tracking aircraft and radar and radio are used to keep check

on the balloons progress. After cut-down the payload is returned

to earth by parachute and recovered by radio equipped vehicles.

Longreach, Queensland, has been selected as a suitable

alternative launching site to Mildura. It will be used mainly as

a site for research organisations seeking a more northerly site

but some regular Hibal flights may be launched there. Longreach

will be used mainly in the summer months when the prevailing winds

above 65 thousand feet are predominantly easterlies. The balloons

might drift up to about 80 miles east of Longreach before being

caught in the higher altitude easterlies but the recovery area

will be generally within an arc of 250 to 300 miles radius

northwest to southwest from Longreach.

The initial programme at Longreach will be a series of

three flights of 5.25 million cubic feet balloons carrying payÂ­

loads of 400 lb. up to 125,000 feet. These balloons will carry

equipment to investigate gamma rays in support of a research

programme of the University of Rochester, New York sponsored by

the U.S. National Science Foundation. The first flight is

scheduled to take place on or shortly after 10 November 1966

and the other two will follow at intervals of a few days.

Senator Henty expressed his appreciation of the

co-operation extended by residents in areas surrounding Mildura

particularly those from whose properties the scientific equipment

has been recovered. He sought similar co-operation from residents

of the Longreach recovery area and indicated that the recovery

team would take every care when recovering the scientific

equipment.

-  2 -

CANBERRA

8 November 1966

