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Observing and Measuring the Atmosphere
Volume 1, Number 2 (Summer 2000)
From the Editor
Headlines
Rockets and the Ozone Layer
Rocket engine exhaust contains chemical compounds that react with ozone in the stratosphere. A new measurement program suggests that current space transportation activities only minimally affect Earth's protective ozone layer.
Water-Vapor Lidar Extends to the Tropopause
Lidar's role in obtaining accurate measurements of water vapor in the upper troposphere is becoming increasingly important as the issue of global warming heats up.
The Defense Support Program
Early in the morning on a day in August 1972, all satellites in the constellation that would alert the United States of a missile attack suddenly lost their warning capability. The detectors and circuitry, according to the status data, had been hit by a strong source of ionizing radiation. This appeared to be an ominous event to operators at the ground stations, where the initial interpretation was that the Russians had detonated a nuclear warhead in space, possibly as a precursor to a ballistic missile attack.
Aerospace Photos Capture Launch Clouds
A new and improved method of measuring launch-vehicle ground clouds leads to fewer launch delays and reduces costs.
Cloud Cover Over Kosovo
In response to an Air Force request for better weather forecasting in the Balkans, Aerospace developed a higher-resolution cloud-analysis prototype that provided more accurate cloud-cover information in support of operations in Kosovo.
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