Explosive Thermometer

Rocketeers and guided-missile experts are intensely interested in the temperature of the upper atmosphere. Temperature affects the speed of sound, and the speed of sound has a direct effect on the flight and control of missiles. It is already known that the temperature varies abruptly with changes of altitude. Just above 25 miles, for instance, it increases from -- 80DEGF to 190DEGF in 10,000 ft. But more exact measurements are needed. Conventional thermometers on rockets will not do the job.

Last week White Sands Proving Ground told of another method. Grenades (containers of brightly flashing explosive) are attached to the nose of a rocket. They are exploded automatically about every eight seconds. The time of the flash is recorded by a photoelectric cell on the rocket and by cameras on the ground. The sound of the explosion is picked up by microphones near the rocket's launching point. By measuring the time it takes for the sound of each burst to reach the ground, the scientists estimate the average temperature of the air through which the rocket has passed since the previous burst.

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