Evening star., 1952-02-04
Phontom Winds in Sky
Found by Scientists
Radio Waves Keep Check
On lonosphere's Gusts
By Thomus R. Henry

On lonosphere's Gusts
By Thomds R. Henry
Phantom winds with velocities as high
as 800 miles an hour sweep through the
high heavens.
They now are being studied as part
Of the ionosphere research program Of
the National Bureau of Standards. Sim
liar studies are underway In Canada
and Great Britain. These winds are
believed to have considerable effect on
radio propagation. They occur In the
so-called ionosphere layers. from so to
$50 miles above the earth, from which
radio waves are reflected by electrified
particles and prevented from escaping
into outer space. It is this phenomenon
which makes long distance radio trans
mission possible.
In substance, according to the Bureau
Of Standards report. they are liz ordi-
nary winds. But at such great attitudes
atmosphere, per Sc. is almost non-exiSt-
ent. The wind is like wind in q
vacuum tube. The atmosphere consists
Of ttinly diffused atoms and few mole
cules.
The actual existence OF these high
winds has been suspected for some years
because Of the observations Of slowly
drifting meteor trails and Of the lurni-
nous clouds seen occasionally at night.
The latest international observations,
however, show that they constitute .
worldwide circulatory system.
During June, July and August they
blow principally from west to east. Dur
AZ.
tion generally Is southwesterly. During
spring and fall they appear to rotate
clockwise, completing two complete ro-
tations each "a hours. The average
speed, the bureau workers report. Is
about $50 miles an hour. but velocities
up to 500 miles have been observed.
In the past, study Of these winds has
been restricted to times Of somewhat
rare phenomena. but now the Bureau
Of Standards radio propagation lAbora-.
tory has developed technique by which
they can be followed from minute to
minute.
Fading Signals Used.
When radio waves Of constant anpli-
tude are reflected from the ionosphere
back to the earth they usually return
with an amplitude that varies erratically
with time. This variation, or fading, Of
radio signals is one Of the nuisances in
long distance communication. It Is,
however, an indispensable tool in the
present investigation. They can be ex-
planned by the assumption that the
ionosphere Is made up Of patches Of
electrified particles. Some parts are
much more densely ionized than others.
As these patches are moved by the
upper atmosphere winds the fading
phenomenon also moves. THIS the speed
and direction Of the winds can be de-
duced from observations at series OF
receiving stations. :-z*s
The winds are produced, VI it Is re-
ported, by the gravitational tides Of sun
and moon and by the heating effects Of
radiations from the sun,
The first paper made entirely Of glass
has just been produced at the Bureau
of Standards. sse
It has many advantages over ordinary
paper because of its very high resistance
to heat, moisture, light and all sorts Of
bugs and micro-organismS.
For some special purposes for which
paper is used it has even greater adj
yantages. It seems particularly valua-
Bile, for example, as filter for gas
masks. In tests In p smoke-flled room
only one smoke particle in 100000 passed
through the paper filter, It has, &C
cording to the bureau announcement.
excellent electrical characteristics and
should prove valuable as an Insulating
material. s<
Glass paper long was considered an
impoSSibility. In manufacture ofs;oroi-
nary paper, vegetable fibers are mixed
with water in beater which bruises
the fibers. Prolonged beating reduces
some parts Of the dbers to o glue-like
substance which cementS the flbers to-
gether The longer the beating the
more glue is formed and the stronger
the paper. st
50 Per Cent Water. sxia"
This does not happen with the glass
paper. Bruising of the fibers tends to
weaken the paper and no glue-like sub
stance is formed. @ F%'
The first step in the operation Is to
mix the finest grade Of glass fEbers,
thick, with water. The mixture Is about
80 per cent water. Using more glass
was shown to have no advantage.
It was found that the water paper
formed could not be passed through
rolling machine without losing strength.
The experiments showed that the
strength also depended on use Of hbers
of different lengths.> but very short
ones tended to weaken the paper.
When these were removed from the
mixture, paper 10 times as strong as
that produced originally resulted.
The work was undertaken as a CO.
operative project between the Bureau
Of Standards and the Naval Research
Laboratory. 1t was carried out by Drs:
M. j. OIeary, j. Z. Missimer. j. j.
Erving and B. w. Scribner Of the bu-
reau staff and T. d. Callinan and r. r.
f,,nae oor,al x,Ia1ycinScfo