Biological and medical experiments carried out on balloon flights, both
manned and unmanned, antedate the establishment of NASA. Aside from the
early use of balloons in flights that could be called simply
flight-survival studies, balloons have made important contributions to
our present knowledge of the effects of cosmic radiation and to various
aspects of space travel.
The achievements of the Strato-Lab and Man High series by the U.S. Navy
and Air Force include a wealth of information on balloon travel and on
the survival of man at altitudes close to and above 100 000 feet.
Generally, balloon launches of animals, which reached a maximum in 1953
when 23 balloons were released, have established the feasibility of a
program of extended manned balloon flights to high altitudes.
Atmospheric life studies outside the area of cosmic radiation effects
have been comparatively few. Results from two manned flights, Strato-Lab
I and II, indicate that the flights did produce pronounced changes in
white blood cell count; however, the data suggest that these changes
were due to psychological rather than physical stress. Exposure to
altitudes above 90 000 feet for a total of 62 hours did not produce any
general behavioral change in two Java monkeys, according to other
balloon flights. Many of these flights were effective in testing
equipment, telemetering devices, and in pointing the way for other
flights.
Stratoscope I and II, originally undertaken by the Office of Naval
Research (ONR), are projects involving various astronomical observations
with the aid of a balloon-borne telescope and television and camera
systems. NASA cooperated with ONR on Stratoscope II (36-inch telescope
compared with Stratoscope I’s 12-inch telescope) which has already
resulted in significant discoveries about the nature of the planets and
stars. Water vapor has been identified in the atmosphere of cool red
stars and an analysis of the Martian spectra showed a greater abundance
of carbon dioxide than had previously been believed. Since the
balloon-borne telescope was carried beyond Earth’s obscuring atmosphere,
the Stratoscope projects have yielded valuable photographs of the Sun,
stars, and various planets.