The PSC project is a comprehensive investigation of polar stratospheric clouds lead by the Danish Meteorological Institute and the Max-Planck-Institut (Germany). The scientists want to measure the optical properties, the particle composition and the gaze phase properties of the cloud particles.
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The PSC mass spectrometer has a specially designed particle inlet, an aerodynamic lens, which focuses particles to an aerosol beam. Behind the lens, gas molecules spread out and are pumped away, whereas the particle beamcrosses a differentially pumped vacuum system. Particles are stopped in a gold-plated sphere, evaporate, and the chemical composition of the resulting gas is measured with a quadrupole mass spectrometer. This system provides an effective separation of the particles from ambient air. The PSC gondola has flown several times from the Esrange space Center: The campaign in 2001/2002
This campaign started in November 2001 and continued until March 2002. It included six balloons co-ordinated with measurements made by aeroplanes from Arena Arctica at Kiruna Airport (the Myster from France and the Falcon from Germany) and by another balloon campaign MIPAS. 2001-12-09
Launch of the first Flight took place at 20:26 UTC, the 9th of December and the cutdown command was given at 00:50
On board there wear two backscatter sonds for particle counters, one water vapour measurement as well as four different temperatures sensors.
2002-01-12
The fourth launch of the PSC gondola took place at 16.55 UTC on 12 January 2002 with a flight duration of 3 hours and 46 minutes. The measurements wear made inside a thick layer of PSC:s, between 17 and 24 km of height. The campaign in 2002
2002-12-04
Launch of the PSC flight 1 took place at 18.04 UTC. The 50 000 m3 balloon carried scientific equipments up to an altitude of 29 km. The cut down command was given after a flight time of nearly 5 hours . 2002-12-06
The launch of PSC flight 2 was at 22:31 UTC. The cut down command was given at 2:46 UTC witch was earlier than predicted due to problems with the ballast machine. How ever they flow through the ozone layer as planned.
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Contact persons:
Mr N. Larsen, Danish Meteorological Institute, Copenhaguen, Denmark
Mr J. Schreiner, Max-Planck-Institut, Heidelberg, Germany |
The PSC project is a comprehensive investigation of polar stratospheric clouds. The scientists want to measure the optical properties, the particle composition and the gaze phase properties of the cloud particles.