Abstract

Interest in the upper atmosphere of the earth has continued to mount rapidly in recent years although during the war period much of the interest was veiled or diverted. Now a sharp stimulus has occurred because devices, such as the V-2 rocket, are available which are able to reach great heights and thereby to provide means of direct experimentation at great heights. It is my plan here to describe briefly present knowledge of the atmosphere up to the ionosphere and to mention the not inappreciable contributions which the V-2 rocket experiments have made already.

© 1947 Optical Society of America

Presence of HNO₃ in the Upper Atmosphere*

David G. Murcray, T. G. Kyle, F. H. Murcray, and W. J. Williams
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 59(9) 1131-1134 (1969)

Optics of the Upper Atmosphere

D. M. Hunten
Appl. Opt. 3(2) 167-174 (1964)

The Ultraviolet Transmission Coefficient of the Earth’s Atmosphere

R. S. Rockwood and R. A. Sawyer
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 22(10) 513-524 (1932)

Radiometer for Remote Sounding of the Upper Atmosphere

F. W. Taylor, J. T. Houghton, G. D. Peskett, C. D. Rodgers, and E. J. Williamson
Appl. Opt. 11(1) 135-141 (1972)

Brightness and Polarization of the Daylight Sky at Various Altitudes above Sea Level

R. Tousey and E. O. Hulburt
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 37(2) 78-92 (1947)