The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-11
BY DAVID RAMSEY

BY DAVID RAMSEY
The Coming Shakespeare Hop
THE coming stratosphere fight of
Captain A. w. Stevens and Major
w. z. Kepner will take place some
time during the latter part of July.
They will take off in a giant balloon
furnished by the National Geo
graphic Society and the q. S. Army
Air Corps.
The American explorers of the
upper atmosphere will be the 18th
and 18th persons to risk their lives
in shakespeare hops. In May, 1881.
Professor Auguste Picard and
Charles Kipfer reached an altitude
Of 54.166 feet. On Sept. 80, 1893, a
Soviet balloon, the USS.R., reached
the record altitude of 62,324 feet.
This year, on Feb. /, another Soviet
balloon, the Sirius, attained the
even greater height Of 67506 feet,
but in descending, its three brave
occupants were killed.
When Stevens and Kepner make
their perilous rise from Moonlight /
Valley, South Dakota, they will at
tempt to lessen the risks by careful |
preparations based on the study Of
previous flights. Their balloon has
q volume of 100000 cubic feet
three times the size of the Inflated |
Sirius and half as large as the /
giant American dirigible, the S. S.
Macon. The enormous size of the |
bag will enable them to carry many |
safety devices, including a great !
parachute capable Of lowering the |
gondola which will house them and !
their instruments. The balloon is
large enough for them to carry
adequate ballast, and small but nee
essary instruments Of balloon navi- |
cation that the other flights were |
not able to take aloft. Considering
the enormous size of the balloon |
Ct is as high as a 30-story build |
ing), Stevens and Kepner stand a
very good chance of achieving a
new altitude record, and of bring |
ing back important scientific data.
CC1ENTISTS and balloonists do
y not make stratosphere flights
merely to set new altitude records.
They are subsidized and planned by
governmental and scientific agen-
cies because of important practical
and scientific detectives.
The logical place for speedy long
distance flights is in the strato-
sphere. Air resistance there is cut
down to minimum; pilots could
overcome hazardous weather condi-
tions by flying way above thunder
storms, dangerous winds. etc. One
Of the major interests of the flight
will be to study and measure strato-
sphere weather and flying condi-
lions.
Along with weather study will be
observation of the mysterious cos
mic rays--the most penetrating ra-
diation known to man. 1t is difficult
to study the rays because of the
blanket of air that covers the earth.
In the rarified regions Of the strato-
sphere, physicists hope to find more
conclusive answers regarding the
nature and structure of cosnic
rays. Since other forms of radia-
ton are known to have profound
effects on human beings and other
organisms, there is the possibility
that cosmic rays also have impor-
tant effects on the life of man,
animals and plants.
Stevens and Kepner will take one
ton Of scientific instruments up
with them. There will be spectre
graphs for analyzing the light in
the shakespeare region which may
furnish the answer to the question
Of the color Of the sky in the upper
atmosphere To the balloonists the
sky will probably appear BLUSH
black, since it Is the air that scat
tiers the blue rays from the sun,
and creates the impression that the
sky is blue. At height of IL to
IS miles, the balloon will have risen
through some 95 per cent of the en-
velope of air that surrounds the
earth. Consequently, the familiar
blue of the sky will not be seen at
these heights.
Other scientific projects will in
clude the bottling of air samples at
various attitudes; studies of wind
direction and velocity; observations
of atmospheric conditions at high
levels; and the study Of the effects
of altitude on radio transmission
(of great Importance to pilots if
they are to fly in the region).
THE purpose of the fight, of
course, is not solely for scien-
tif1c information. An electric
brain" has been designed which will
operate large aerial camera which
can take photographs at tremen-
dous distances. Each picture will
show an area of $50 square miles.
In fact, Captain Stevens is best
known for photographs taken miles
above the earth and at long dis
tances through fog and storms. One
Of his most remarkable feats was a
photographs of a mountain taken
from distance of 331 miles. The
military advantages of such long
range aerial photographs are OBJ
vious. They give an army eyes that !
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