Applied research and development of falling-sphere densitometers payloads of improved design

Four complete falling-sphere densitometer systems were designed and launched, with generally satisfactory results, at three locations: New Mexico, Sweden, and Alaska. The task included the provision and launch responsibility for the nose cones and ejection systems for all densitometers and the provision and launch responsibility for two unique support units for the payloads flown in Sweden. Refinements were made to improve system accuracy in the calibration and data reduction techniques for the Z-axis channels of the sphere. The Z-axis amplifiers were modified to improve their performance. A wide-band accelerometer was designed and integrated into the sphere system to provide for a high resolution instrument to enable small-scale wind and turbulence studies of the high-altitude atmosphere. The sphere was reintegrated to provide for a more powerful transponder and a PCM-ranging system. A study was made to reassess the sphere configuration to reduce its gross weight. Design changes will reduce this weight by 1 lb. Additional volume was recovered for future expansion in the sphere instrumentation.