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Progress Report on Research and Development in the Field of High Altitude Plastic Balloons

The geatest portion of the flight of the plastic stratosphere balloons 
is usually spent floating on a constant pressure surface. The flight traj— 
ectories during this period describe the stratospheric flow in considerable 
detail but tie number of flights, meteorological standards constitute an 
extreæly saqle. This destription of the atmospheric flow is unusual 
for the conventional æteorological upper air report,s consist of successive 
observations of the motion at fixed points while the balloon trajectory might 
be teræd a- quasi—Lagrangian system, describing the motion of a particle in 
tine. While Lagangian systems are frequently employed in Atmospheric hydro— 
dynamical analysis, this tne of observation is sufficiently new to warrant 
some discussion before comparing the present observations of the stratospheric 
flow Tith the better known characteristics of the flow in the troposphere. 
It is the punose of this study to gain an insight of the nature of the 
stratospheric flow by sumnrizing• certain of its physical characteristics, 
the aqlitudeg and periods of the velocity fluctuations of the horizontal 
coqonent of the flow. It iB hoped that some of the limitations imposed by 
a reetricted gaple will not be go for a sumarization of physical 
chuacteristice as they ny be for a climatological The type of 
Btmæry undertaken has some advantages also In providing a quantitative 
basi8 for coqarison with the now in the troposphere. 
This investigation was also motivated a direct requireænt of the 
balloon progam, that of the prediction of the future course of Qie balloon. 
Extrapolation Will be a fundamental part of arv system of prediction and the 
Iln the eenge that the nor is quasi—isobaric, if thig extension of the 
inolog of Starr, Journal of Meteorolv, 19b5, i. permissable.