N EVWS R E LEAS E

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON 25, D.C.
TELEPHONES: WORTH 2-4155-WORTH 3- 1110
FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY
August 4, 1963

RELEASE NO: 63-157

NASA TO LAUNCH POLAR IONOSPHERE BEACON SATELLITE

(s-66)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will

soon attempt to launch from the Pacific Missile Range,

an Ionosphere Beacon Satellite (S-66) into circular polar

orbit. Designed to make global measurements of the

ionosphere, the scientific satellite is scheduled for

launch aboard a Scout vehicle no sooner than

August 15.

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The Ionosphere Beacon Satellite's primary objective

is to conduct measurements which will make it possible for

scientists to plot the form and structure of the ionos-

phere and to describe its behavior under varying condi-

tions of solar activity, season and time of day.

It is the ionosphere, a region of electrically

charged gases beginning about 35 miles above the surface

of the Earth, which makes it possible for man to bounce

radio signals from continent to continent.

'n addition to the major ionosphere experiment a

LASER test, will be attempted by means of glass-like

reflectors attached to the spacecraft. This will be the

first time LASER experiments have been conducted on a space-

borne satellite and chances of initial success are marginal.

While the radio beacon experiment is only one of a

number of ionosphere satellite experiments conducted by

NASA, it is significant in that the simplicity of read-out

equipment needed (antenna, radio receiver, timing device,

and a recorder) to gain satellite information will permit

scientists all over the world to participate in the

experiment. To date, over 40 foreign and domestic experi-

menters have volunteered to take part in this program.

This represents the largest cooperative group ever to take

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a direct part in a NASA space satellite experiment. More

importantly, it provides a worldwide scientific satellite

read-out team contributing toward a long sought goal:

to make a global survey of the Earth's ionosphere.

Such a survey of the ionosphere will be as impor-

tant to predicting communications frequency variations

and blackouts as are the Tiros weather satellite photo-

graphs of global cloud cover in predicting the weather,

because the ionosphere changes just as rapidly as does

the Earth's weather.

NASA will attempt to place the satellite into a

near circular polar orbit, inclined 800 to the equator,

at an altitude of about 600 miles. In this type of orbit,

the Earth will rotate under the satellite thus permitting

the satellite to view each area of the Earth's ionosphere

every 24 hours. NASA will inform experimenters of the

times when the satellite is expected to be within range

of their stations. Instruments can then be turned on

to record how certain radio emissions from the satellite

change as they pass through the ionosphere.

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By studying these changes, scientists expect to:

-Relate ionospheric behavior to the solar radiation

which produces the ionization - vitally important, as it

is solar activity which is believed to disrupt radio

communications.

-Learn the bulk behavior of the ionosphere as it

varies in time and space.

-Measure the electron content in the ionosphere

between the satellite and Earth as related to latitude,

season and diurnal time.

-Determine the geometry and distribution of small

scale irregularities in the ionosphere.

LASER tests may also be made by those wishing to

experiment. However, tests will be possible only in the

northern hemisphere since the satellite's LASER reflectors

point away from Earth as it orbits over the southern

hemisphere.

LASERS are electronic devices that generate highly

directional light beams which remain in a very narrow arc

with little spreading. LASER means Light Amplification

by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

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One surface of the S-66 bolds 360 one-inch diameter

reflectors designed in such a way that light from LASER
devices stricking it from any angle will be returned to
its Earth source. By measuring the time it takes for the
light to go to the satellite and back, the position of
the satellite in space might be determined with higher
precision than through the use of conventional radio
means.
THE SPACECRAFT

S-66 is an adaptation of the Navy's navigational

satellite and was designed and built for NASA by the
Applied Physics Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins
University.
The octagonal-shaped satellite weighs about 120
pounds. A bar magnet, one-half inch wide and ten inches
long in the spacecraft) will passively orient the satellite

along the Earth's magnetic field. This will keep the LASER
reflectors pointing toward Earth while the satellite is
in the northern hemisphere, and provide more stable radio
signals for the ionospheric experiments.
Four blades, covered with solar cells to convert the
sun's energy into electricity that recharge nickel cadmium

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batteries, extend from the sides of the spacecraft. These

blades are 66 inches long and 10 inches wide. The power

system is adequate to operate the satellite components

for about three years.
The spacecraft shell, 18 inches in diameter and 12
inches high, is ,madeof honeycomb nylon and fiberglass.
An electron probe extends from the top and bottom of the
satellite. Two five-foot whip antennas and two dipole
antennas for the transmitter extend from the ends of
opposite blades and a whip antenna for the satellite's
command receiver extends from the bottom of the satellite.
In the launch configuration, the four blades are folded
down over the fourth stage of the Scout launch vehicle
and are held in place by the cables of the despin weight
assembly. The adapter that mates the S-66 to the fourth

stage rocket contains switches that are timed to release

the despin cables about seven minutes after motor burn-
out and injection into orbit. The adapter also contains

a small rocket that is ignited about two seconds after

separation to deflect the fourth stage so that it will
not collide with the payload or its extended solar
blades.

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The "yo-yo" despin mechanism will reduce the 160

rpm nominal spin rate of the fourth stage and payload
down to 40 rpm. The change in the spin axis moment of
inertia due to blade erection will then cause the spin
rate of the satellite to decrease from 40 rpm to 4 rpm.
The rate will be reduced to zero by magnetic despin rods
in the satellite blades.

The satellite's position will be determined by NASA's

Scientific Satellite Network. A Doppler tracking system
developed for the Transit program also will be available
to NASA scientists.
Twice as many solar cells as needed for initial
power have been fixed to the satellite blades. As the
cells deteriorate because of radiation effects, reserve
banks of solar cells will be commanded into the operating
system to provide electrical energy.
An automatic temperature control system for the satel-
lite has been designed by APL engineers. Vacuum insulation
between instruments and the shell of the satellite shields
the interior from the great variations of temperature on
the outside. Sight mercury thermostats trigger an on-
board power system fed by a separate small bank of solar
cells mounted onthe blades of the satellite. When the
internal temperature of the spacecraft drops below the
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desired 60 degrees F., the thermostats trigger the special

bank of solar cells which supply the power necessary to

maintain the desired internal temperature. Such uniform

internal temperature should improve reliability and in"

crease the operating lifetime of the satellite components.

LAUNCH VEHICLE

The Scout launch vehicle is a multi-stage, guided

booster using four solid propellant rocket motors capable

of carrying payloads of varying sizes on orbital, space

probe or re-entry missions. Developed by NASA's Langley

Research Center, the Scout is currently the only opera-

tional solid propellant launch vehicle with orbital

experience.

The four Scout motors, Algoi, Castor, Antares, and

Altair, are interlocked with transition sections that

contain the guidance, control, ignition, instrumentation

systems, separation mechanisms, and the spin motors needed

to orient the fourth stage. Guidance is provided by an

autopilot and control achieved by a combination of aero-

dynamic surfaces, jet vanes, and hydrogen peroxide jets.

Scout is approximately 72 feet long and weighs approximately

37,000 pounds at lift off.

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The Scout is capable of placing a 240 pound payload

into a 300 mile orbit or carrying a 100 pound scientific

package approximately 7,000 miles away from Earth.

Launching sites are now operational on both coasts of the

United States for either polar or east-west orbital

launches. Because of its relative economy, reliability

and flexibility, the Scout is employed extensively for

small space research payloads by the NASA, Department of

Defense, and for international programs. Langley

Research Center continues to furnish Scout project manage-

ment services.

The West Coast Scout launch site at Point Arguello,

California is operated under a joint program between NASA

and the Department of Defense. U. S. Air Force personnel

of the 6595th Aerospace Test Wing conduct the vehicle

launches in cooperation with NASA personnel from the

Langley Research Center.

THE LASER EXPERIMENT

Riding the S-66 satellite as a passenger will be a

ten-pound array of glass-like reflectors designed to send

back to Earth light signals aimed at it from a device called

a LASER.

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Mounted on top of the satellite's body are 360

one-inch diameter glass-like (ZuseQ silica) prisms called
"cube-corner" reflectors. These are constructed in such

a way that light striking them frcirm any anglc will be

returned to its sour-e.

Housed in a 60-foot high tower located 20 miles
south of NASA's Wallops Station, Virginia, a LASER device
mounted on an 18" telescope will optically track the
satellite during periods when the spacecraft will be
illuminated by the sun and the tracking station is in
darkness.
In attempting to illuminate the eight-sided reflec-
tive pyramid atop the satellite. scientists of' NASA's

Goddard Space Flight Center will use a system fabricated

by General Electric Company's Missile and Space
Division, Valley Forge, .snnsylvania.
With an orbital period of approximately 105 minutes,
Goddard experimenters plan to attempt the first illumin-
ation of the reflectors during the first night-time pass
over Wallops Island. With an orbital altitude of 600 miles,

the S-66 will be at a slant range of approximately 1,000

miles and will appear as a star of the 8th or 9th magnitude--
20 times fainter than a st;av which can be seen by the naked
eye, The satellite may make two to three suitable passes
over Wallops during the first night.
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 'The Goddard LASER system is mounted on an IGOR

(Intercept Ground Optical Recorder) telescope normally

used by Wallops personnel to track sounding rockets.

Onerators will aim the telescope along the predicted

path of the S-66 and when they see it, scientists will

"flash" the LASER light. If all goes according to plan,

the reflector array will be illuminated and will return

the light -nergy to the telescope. The reflected signal

will then be automatically amplified by a photo multi-

plie. tube. An electronic timing device (a digital counter)

will record how long it took for the light signal to go

and come back. The measurement of time between initiation

of the light and reception at the photomultiplier will

givne the precise position of the satellite.

The Goddard LASER system employs a six-inch synthetic

ruby rod which becomes highly energized as it gathers

energy from a xenon gas-filled flash-lamp mounted closely

parallel to it tn a special barrel-like metal housing.

The rod is designed so that both ends are pollsho! to

act like mirrors.The green light excites chromium atoms

within the rod which re-emits red light.

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As the red light is .;eflected back and forth inside

the rod, the bouncing rays hit other excited chromium atoms

and "stimulate" them to give off more red rays. This

stimulated emission is where the LASER gets its name. These

rays are in phase with each other and all parallel with

each other as they bounce back and forth between the

reflecting rod endj.

Within a ioaction of a millionth of a second this

chain reaction builds to a powerful beam that "bursts" out

of one end of the rod which has been made more transparent

than the other. The Goddard LASER uses these waves of light

moving precisely in phase with each other to achieve

coherent strength in its signal so that it doesn't spread

out as much as ordinary light and lose its effective strength

before reaching the target.

PRIME OBSERVING STATIONS

The University of Illinois, Pennsylvania State Univer-

sity, Stanford University, the Central Radio Propogation

Laboratory of the National Bureau of Standards and Goddard

Space Flight Center are the primary participants in the

ionosphere experiment. Volunteer international stations

will augment the United States observations.

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NASA PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

S-66 is under the overall direction of NASA Head-

quarters, Office of Space Sciences, Dr. Homer E. Newell,

Director. The ionosphere program scientist is Dr. Erwin

Schmerling. M. J. Aucremanne is the project officer.

Project management responsibliiy for the satellite

rests with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Frank T.

Martin is project manager and Rcbert E. Bzurdeau is project

scienit-ist.

The Langley Research Center is responsible for

system management for the Scout launch vehicle.

The LASER program is under +,he management of Dr. Albert

S. Kelly, Director of Electronics and Control of NASA Head-

quarter's Cff ive of Advanced Research and Technology.

Dr. Henry H. Plotkin, Optical Systems Branch Head, GSFC

.s LASER project scientist.

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BACKGROUND FACT SHEET

THE IONOSPHERE

On February 10 and 11, 1958, some 100 transoceanic air-

planes set up an emergency radio bucket brigade.

Almost without warning, their usually dependable radio

l'nks with the airfields of Europe and North America had been

cut. Long-distance radio communications between the hemi-

spheres was blacked out. Only by line-of-sight relaying mes-

sages were the aircraft able to maintain a minimum amount of

air traffic control.

Because this event occurred during a highly organized

research effort--the International Geophysical Year--a large

variety of measurements provided a fairly comprehensive de-

scription of what had happened. The Earth was suddenly en-

veloped in a vast cloud of electrified gases that had been

ejected by the sun. This produced one of the most widespread

geomagnetic storms on record, and the complete shattering of

that high-altitude radio mirror--the ionosphere-.-was but one

of its symptoms.

Both as a device for long-distance radio communications

and as an object of scientific study, the ionosphere still

is inadequately understood. It is, in fact, a kind of Hydra

of the geophysical world, constantly sprouting several new

puzzles for each one that is laid to rest.

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A new assault upon the complexities of the ionosphere--

on an international scale--will begin in a few days when the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration will attempt to
place an Ionosphere Beacon Satellite into a near-polar orbit.
Its purpose is to extend ionospheric research on a global
scale.

HISTORY
Early in the 18th century, it was observed that a mag-
netic compass needle exhibited regular daily fluctuations,
and in 1882, Balfour Stewart, an Englishman, suggested that
these motions of the compass needle were induced by a strong
electric current that was located high in the atmosphere.
This implied that there was a substantial flow of free elec-
tric charges high above the surface of the Earth.

In 1864, a Scotsman, James Clerk Maxwell, proposed that

light was propagated through free space in the form of elec-
tromagnetic waves. In 1887, a German physicist, Heinrich
Rudolf Hertz, demonstrated that electrical energy could be
transmitted through space in the form of electromagnetic waves.
Both were building upon the discovery of electromagnetic in-
duction, made by Michael Faraday, an Englishman, between 1821
and 1824. It was a practical application of these and other
mainstreams of research that suddenly stimulated systematic
investigation of what only much later came to be called the
ionosphere.

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On December 12, 1901, as he manipulated a receiver in

a radio shack at St. John's, Newfoundland, an Italian, Mar-
chese Guglielmo Marconi, captured a radio signal that had
been sent from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, a good 2,000
miles away.
Clearly, this experiment cast doubt upon the then gen-
erally accepted theory that electromagnetic waves traveled
through air in a straight line, for a straight line connect-
ing Poldhu with St. John's would have to pass through a sub-
stantial quantity of the Atlantic Ocean. Two groups of the-

oreticians formed to offer possible explanations. One group,

basing its position on experience with light waves, suggested

that the radio waves had been bent over and along the curved
surface of the Earth by a process known as diffraction. How-

ever, the long interval of curvature of the Earth and also

the strength of the signal received by Marconi worked against
acceptance of this theory.

The foremost exponents of an altogether different ex-

planation were Dr. Oliver Heaviside, an Englishman, and an
American, Dr. Arthur E. Kennellyi who in 1902 suggested sim-

ultaneously that the radio signals transmitted in England

had struck a reflecting layer in the atmosphere, which pre-
vented them from escaping to space and instead returned them
to Earth. The Kennelly-Heaviside layer theory generally was

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accepted, although almost a quarter century would pass be-

fore radio sounding techniques were sufficiently refined to

permit measurements that accurately demonstrated the exist-

ence of such a reflecting layer.

IONOSPHERIC PHENOMENA

Any atmospheric model intended to explain a radio-re-

flecting layer would have to account for a substantial quan-

tity of free electrons at some region of the atmosphere.

It soon became apparent that the intense solar ultra-

violet and X-ray radiation bombarding the Earth was capable

of separating atmospheric atoms and molecules from some of

their electrons. This breaking apart of electrically neu-

tral particles into a negatively charged electron and a pos-

itively charged particle, called an ion, is called ioniza-

tion. It was with the acceptance of this theory of the gen-

eration of free electrons in the atmosphere that the region

where such electrons are produced came to lose the name

Kennelly-Heaviside layer, and became known as the ionosphere.

The interaction between the incoming ionizing solar ra-

diation and the components of the atmosphere i.s a complex

one and is not entirely understood. At extrenlely high alti-

tudes, the atmosphere is quite thin. While a great deal of

radiation is able to pass through it, this radiation encoun-

ters relatively few atoms or molecules causes little ioni-

zation, and therefore few free electrons are produced.

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Farther down, where atmospheric density increases, more

tree electrons are produced, but absorption rapidly reduces
the intensity of ultraviolet and X-radiation. Comparatively

little solar radiation in these wavelengths reaches to lower

levels of the atmosphere, and the bottom layers of the iono-
sphere contain relatively few free electrons and a much higher
density of neutral atoms and molecules. The number of free

electrons at any altitude, therefore, depends both upon the

intensity of ionizing radiation at any level and on the den-
sity of particles available for ionization.

When Hertz performed his first experiments in the gen-

eration of what later became known as radio waves, he did so
by forcing a high frequency alternating current across a
spark gap between two electrodes, and he discovered that the
spark emitted electromagnetic waves. These waves were, in

fact, produced by free electrons in the spark that oscillated

at the same frequency as the applied current. In a modern

radio transmitter, a high frequency alternating current is

applied to the transmitting antenna, and the current causes
electrons in the antenna to vibrate, and emit radio waves.

The radio waves spread out in a pattern that is deter-

mined by the shape or geometry of the antenna. When these

waves reach free electrons in the ionosphere, they stimulate

the electrons to vibrate at the same frequency, and these

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oscillating electrons then emit radio waves, also at the same

frequency. The radio emission of any single free electron is
a weak one. However, the ionosphere has from 1,000 to I,,0cc000
free electrons per cubic centimeter, depending upon the alti-
tude and other variable conditions. The sum of the individual

radio emissions is nearly as strong as the originally broad-

cast signal.
The extent to which a radio wave will penetrate into the
Ionosphere before its energy has been redirected toward the
ground by reradiation from free electrons depends largely upon
the frequency of the signal. Generally speaking, radio waves

of frequencies higher than about 15 megacycles (15 million

cycles per second) will pass through the ionosphere and escape
to space. For radio sounding--in which the time of delay of
a radio signal echo is a measure of the height of the reflect-
ing layer--frequencies of one to ten megacycles usually are
used.
The efficiency of a particular ionized region for the
reflection of radio waves depends both on the number of free
electrons and the atmospheric density, because electrons can
collide with the heavy, neutral atoms or molecules. When such

a collision takes place, it stops the radio emission of the

electron because it energy is given up to the colliding par-
ticle. The lowest layer of the ionosphere, therefore, tends
to act as a kind of radio-absorbing sponge because the high

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density of atoms and molecules does not permit much

free electron vibration. During times of intense solar

activity, when ionizing radiation reaches deeper into

the atmosphere, this absorbing layer broadens and the

result is the radio blackout associated with geomagnetic

storms.

By no means can the ionosphere be considered stable

in its vertical structure simply because of the ionizing

radiation-particle density relationship. Other phenom-

ena are superimposed upon it to such an extent that the

ionosphere is a highly dynamic and ever-moving struc-

ture. The following activities occur with some

regularity:

1. At lower altitudes, great winds move and

churn the atmosphere, keeping its components thoroughly

mixed. With increasing altitude, the winds subside,

and eventually atmospheric components begin to separate

according to their molecular weights. Molecular Nitrogen

predominates to about 120 miles, where atomic Oxygen

becomes the dominant component. At about 600 miles

Helium becomes a dominant component, and at several thou-

sand miles, Hydrogen dominates.

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2. The gravitational effect of the moon produces

a tidal motion in the atmosphere. However, a much

greater atmospheric bulge is produced by solar heating.

The atmosphere tends to expand and move upward on the

sunlit side of the earth, while it subsides on the

dark side. The daylight rising produces a broadening

of the ionospheric regions. This along with disappear-

ance of electrons by recombination, tends to account for

the experienced improvement of long-distance radio

communications at night, when the lower alsorbing layer

is thinnest and least dense. It also has been suggested

that the large-scale upward and downward displacement

of large masses of free electrons across the lines of

force of the earth's magnetic field would produce a

current that could induce the daily fluctuations of a

magnetic compass needle, observed more than 300 years ago.

It is estimated that 50,000 amperes of electricity flow

between England and the earth's Equator.

3. Periodic influxes of electromagnetic and particle

radiations from the sun produce localized and wide

spread sudden ionospheric disturbances and geomagnetic

storms. These generate great upheavals in the structure

and functioning of the ionosphere.

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By a convention that recognizes the highest radic

frequency reflected at a particular altitude of the

ionosphere, labels have been given to various regions,

although they obviously are not rigid. They are:

Region Altitude

(kilometers) (iilz3S)
D0 to90 .to 55
E 90 to 150 It090
I,)1 150 to 250 90 to 150
F2 250 to 500 150 to 300

RECENT SPACE RESEARCH

TIr use of high-altitude sounding rockets and of

earthj-orbiting satc&7 ites has opened a new era in ionos-

phere research. During the past three years, the major

experiments were the following:

1. November 3, 1Q60--Explorer VIII This satellite

made measurements along its orbital path, between altitudes

of 258 and 1,410 miles (415 to 2,270 kilometers) of the
electron density and energy and identified chemical
components of t:;e atmosphere, in particular ionized oxygen,
helium, and hydrogen.
2. In October 19, 1961, and March 29, 1962, respec-
ti , aytime and nighttime geoprobe vertical sounding
,ockets reached attitudes In the vicinity of 4,000 miles.

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They were designed to measure electron density, ionic

composition and the temperature of electrons, and

afford a comparison between daytime and nighttime conditions.

3. April 26, 1962--Ariel I. This satellite,

instrumented by the United Kingdom and launched by the

United States, extended the a quisition of data alorng

l orbital path that varied between 212 and 752 miles

(390 to 1,214 kilometers), also measuring electron

density and temperatureand ion mass and temperature.

4' September 28, 1962--Alouette. This satellite

Peas built by Canada and launched by the United States,

and, in effect, it carried miniaturized radio sounding
equipmen:, above the ionosphere to sound its features
from the top side. Ib was placed into a nearly circular

621N-mile orbit that also was a near-polar orbit, so that

it could pay special attention to polar, artic and
auroral phenomena as they relate to ionospheric perculi-
arities that exist over Canada.
Alouette uses a radio sounder that varies its
frequency-v between 2 and 12 megacycles, so that it car
provide more accurate profiles between the satellite and
the various maxJ.ni-im z ?f]lecting layers in the ionosphere.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration

plans to launch a fixed frequency topside sounding satel-

lite late this year.

THE IONOSPHERE BEACON SATELLITE

The primary misa'on of the Ionosphere Beacon Satel-

lite is to search for variations of detail or anomalies

in the structure of the ionosphere. It will do this by

measuring the total number of electrons between itself

and the ground. A great many such measurements will

be possible because ground receiving stations capable

of receivinrg its beacon can be set up with a modest

cost, with portable equipment, and since the satellite's

polar orbit will take it over almost all of the earth's

surface, widespread participation in this effort is

anticipated.

The measurement of the electron content along the

line of sight between the satellite and the ground station

will be made in two ways. Both ways depend upon the

influences thac the ionosphere will exert upon the 3ignal

sent out by the radio beacon.

One of the characteristics of a signal received from

a satellite moving in orbit is that its radio signals

are subject to a phenomenon called the Doppler shift.

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When the Eatellite mov s toward the receiving station,

the frequency of the received signal is slightly higher

than that sent by the satellite. When the satellite is

moving away from the station, the received frequency

will be slightly lower than the transmitted one. This

shift of frequency is called a Doppler shift, and

varies with both the satellite velocity and electron

density. By comparing the Doppler shifts at several

frequencies, the total electron content between the

observer and the satellite can be obtained.

The second method of electron density measurement

takes advantage of an effect known as the "Faraday

rotation."

This is a rotation of the plane of polarization of

the radio waves that is produced by the waves passing

through the ionosphere. What this means, in general

terms, is the following: The reason why American tele-

vision antenna loops are set horizontally, like bird

roosts, is because the transmitting antennas at the

television stations also are positioned horizontally.

The plane of polarization of the TV signals is horizontal

with respect to the earth's surface, and this is done.

by choice and convention. If one were to set a tele-

vi.sion receivirg antenna vertically, or- 1ould receive

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little or no signal from a horizontally positioned

transmitting antenna. In Great Britain, incidentally,

the television transmitting antennas are set vertically,

and so are the receiving antenna loops. The plane of

polarization of signals sent through a neutral atmos-

phere tends to remain constant.

However, if waves are sent through a layer of

charged particles, such as the ionosphere, then the

plane of polarization is gradually twisted along a

helical path. It is like taking allong, slender

curtain and twisting it into a corkscrew shape. This

twisting is called the Faraday rotation, and is the

result of interactions between the radio waves and the

electromagnetic fields surrounding electrons in the

ionosphere. If one could measure how many times the

plane of polarization has been rotated between satellite

and earth, one could calculate the electron density.

However, this is most easily accomplished by measuring

the rotation at several frequencies.

By using a straight dipole antenna on the ground

a maximum strenght signal will be received when the

polarization of the incoming radio wave is parallel to it,

and a minimum signal will be received when it is

perpendicular to the antenna.

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 Variations in the received signal strength also

may reveal a patchiness in the ionosphere. The study

of such variations should reveal new information on

the sources of these localized variations of electron

density.

Thus, with simple radio receivers and antennas,

a great deal of data can be acquired on the ground

The extent to which variations in the vertical

profile of electron deisities can be measured then is

limited only by the number and locations of ground

stations. And, each station will be able to make a

real-time measurement each time the satellite passes

within radio range.

More than 40 scientists in some 20 countries have

advised NASA of their willingness to participate in this

research effort, It is anticipated that data from widely

scattered geographic locations, taken over extended peri-

ods of time and 4.ncludin g many measurements from each

station, .ill provide a mine comprehensire picture of

the ionosphere than it has previously been possible to

obtain.
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PARTICIPANTS IN s-66 IONOSPHERIC RESEARCH

Investigator Station Location

ARGENTINA

Sandro M. Radicella Tucuman Argentina

AUSTRALIA

E. B. Armstrong Camden Australia

B. H. Briggs Adelaide South Australia
C. N. Gerrard Woomera Australia
G. R. Munro Sydney Au3tralia
H. C. Webster Brisbane Australia

AUSTRIA

0. Bunkard Graz Austria

BRAZIL

Fernando de :Mendonca Belem Brazil

Natal Brazil
San Jose Brazil
dos Camos
Concepcion Chile
Ushuaia Argentina

CANADA

A. Kavadas Saskatoon, Canada

Saskatchewan

FRANCE

.1. Papet-Lepine Villepreux France

E. Vassy Paris France

GERMANY

W. Dieminger Lindau Germany

H. Kaminski Bochum Germany
K, Rawer Breisacn Germany

GREECE

M. Anastassiades Athens Greece

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 -29-

Investigator Station Location

INDIA

A. P. Mitra New Delhi India

K. R. Ramannathan Ahmedabad India
E. B. Rao Hyderabad S. India

ITALY

P. F. Checcacci Florence Italy

JAMA-CA

R. W. H. Wright Kingston Jamaica

JAPAN

Y. Nakata Tokyo Japan

KENYA

A. N. Hunter Nairobi Kenya

J. R. Koster Nairobi Kenya

NEW ZEALAND
J. Mawdsley Campbell New Zealand
J. E. Titheridge Invercargill New Zealand
Auckland New Zealand
Well.Lngton New Zealand

SPAIN
A. Romana Tortosa Spain

SWEDEN
L. Liszka Kiruna Sweden

SWITZERLAND
M. Golay Colovrex Switzerland

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 -30-

Investigator Station Location

UNITED KINGDOM

W. J. Beynon Aberystwyth England

B. Burgess South Farnborough England
G. N. Taylor Jodrell Bank England
K. deekes Sidmouth, Devon England
A. F. Wilkins Slough England
Singapore
Hong Kong
Bangkok

UNITED STATES

J, Arons Harhjiltori Massachusetts

P. R. Arendt Deal New Jersey
C. M. Beamer Cedar Rapids Iowa
W. W. Bernig Aberdeen Maryland
L. J. Blumle Blossom Point Maryland
Johannesburg S. Africa
0. K. Garriott Palo Alto California
Honolulu Hawaii
J. P, German College Station Texas
R. E. Houston Durham New Hampshire
J. D. Lawrence Williamsburg Virginia
Ft. Meade Maryland
R. S. Lawrence Boulder Colorado
E. A. Mechtly Huntsville Alabama
W. J. Ross University Park Penna.
Huancayo Peru
G. S. Sales Weston Mass.
Hanover New Hampshire
Thule Greenland
F. Teifeld Palo Alto California
G. W. Swenson Adak Alaska
Baker Lake Canada
Houghton Michigan
Urbana Illinois

End
rw-wX

N EWS R E LEAS E
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
A A 400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON 25, D.C.
TELEPHONES: WORTH 2-4155-WORTH 3-6925
FOR RELEASE:
August 1, 1963

NOTE TO EDITORS:

Please make the following change in NASA News release

NO: 63-157, a press kit on the Polar Ionosphere Beacon
satellite, for release Sunday, August 4, 1963:
On page one, line six, change "no sooner
than August 15" to "late September."

The change in launch date is necessary because of

difficulties with the launch vehicle.

-END-