Radiosonde
notes: label: Description
content: This radiosonde was made in 1944, and transferred to the Smithsonian in 1960. A notice on side of box reads: "Notice to Finders This instrument belongs to the United States Government. A balloon sent up by a weather station carried it to a height of about 12 miles. The balloon burst and the instrument came down slowly on the parachute. While in the air the instrument acted as radio broadcaster of the temperature, pressure and moisture of the air through which it passed. This instrument may be used again. Please remove the ta from under the flap and write the information required. Mail it at any post office or post box or hand it to your rural carrier. No stamps are needed. If found outside the United States, it may be turned in to any U.S. Army, U.S. Navy or U.S. Weather Bureau Organization. Thank you. Manufactured under U.S. Patents 2,027,367 - 2,064,651 - 2,211,493 - 2,279,854 other U.S. and foreign patents pending." Other inscriptions read “AN/AMQ-1” and “NXsa-38522” and “SERIAL NO. 15690 CFJ.”
label: Description
content: William R. Blair (1885-1962), holder of the earliest of the referenced patents, was and immigrant from Ireland, who served with the U.S. Army during World War I, and as chief of research and engineering at the Army Signal Corps Laboratory at Fort Monmouth, N.J. in the 1930s.
label: Description
content: Ref: William R. Blair, “System of Determining Meteorological Conditions by Radio,” U.S. Patent 2,027,357 (Jan. 14, 1936).
label: Description
content: Marcus E. Fiene, “Humidity Response Device,” U.S. Patent 2,064,651 (Dec. 15, 1936), assigned to General Electric Company.
label: Description
content: Ralph Chappell, “Variable Resistor,” U.S. Patent 2,211,493 (Aug. 13, 1940), assigned to Bendix Aviation Corporation.
label: Description
content: Kenneth E. Whitney, “Apparatus for Making Aneroids,” U.S. Patent 2,279,854 (April 14, 1942), assigned to Bendix Aviation Corporation.
label: Description
content: “Col. Blair, 87, Dies; Pioneer in Radio,” New York Times (Sept. 3, 1962), p. 15.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: National Bureau of Standards
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.313526
label: accession number
content: 188571
label: catalog number
content: 313526
objectType: label: Object Name
content: radiosonde
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 20 cm x 21 cm x 11 cm; 7 7/8 in x 8 9/32 in x 4 11/32 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 7 7/8 in x 4 1/4 in x 9 1/2 in; 20.0025 cm x 10.795 cm x 24.13 cm