Sagdeev RZ, Linkin VM, Kerzhanovich VV, Lipatov AN, Shurupov AA, Blamont JE, Crisp D, Ingersoll AP, Elson LS, Preston RA, Hildebrand CE, Ragent B, Seiff A, Young RE, Petit G, Boloh L, Alexandrov YN, Armand NA, Bakitko RV, Selivanov AS. Overview of VEGA Venus Balloon in Situ Meteorological Measurements.
Science 1986;
231:1411-4. [PMID:
17748081 DOI:
10.1126/science.231.4744.1411]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The VEGA balloons made in situ measurements of pressure, temperature, vertical wind velocity, ambient light, frequency of lightning, and cloud particle backscatter. Both balloons encountered highly variable atmospheric conditions, with periods of intense vertical winds occurring sporadically throughout their flights. Downward winds as large as 3.5 meters per second occasionally forced the balloons to descend as much as 2.5 kilometers below their equilibrium float altitudes. Large variations, in pressure, temperature, ambient light level, and cloud particle backscatter (VEGA-1 only) correlated well during these excursions, indicating that these properties were strong functions of altitude in those parts of the middle cloud layer sampled by the balloons.
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