Additional Note Strong Vertical Wind Profiles And Upper Level Maximum Wind Speeds Over Vandenberg Air Force Base

Several new vacuum ultraviolet-emission continua recently observed in the spectra of the rare gases helium, argon, and xenon are discussed. These spectra were produced with a windowless light source operated as a repetitive condensed discharge and equipped with a differential pumping system to separate the high pressure (up to 800 mm Hg of helium) light source from the 2-m vacuum spectrograph (pressure 1/1000 mm Hg). In helium two continua were observed at pressures above 150 mm in addition to the weaker 600 to 950 angstroms continuum. The brightest extends from about 1050 to above 4000 angstroms and seems connected with greatly enhanced lines of He(II). The other continuum is the completely broadened principal series extending from 584 to about 510 angstroms and containing broadened principal series absorption lines. With argon in a flow system or xenon isolated with a LiF window, previously observed continua were extended from their resonance lines to beyond 3000 angstroms. Details of the experimental observations and possible explanations of these continua are presented. (Author).

Some preliminary analysis are presented of the winds and circulations in the mesosphere based upon the first year of data collected by the Meteorological Rocket Network. Differences between winds determined from radar targets released by rockets and those from the conventional balloon technique are discussed briefly. T er atmosphere, Meteorological data, *Sounding rockets, Diurnal variations, North America, *Wind. Open-ended Terms: Mesosphere. Some preliminary analysis are presented of the winds and circulations in the mesosphere based upon the first year of data collected by the Meteorological Rocket Network. Differences between winds determined from radar targets released by rockets and those from the conventional balloon technique are discussed briefly. The scale of seasonal, daily, and vertical wind variations is illustrated by wind profiles and time cross-sections. They demonstrate clearly the seasonal reversal of mesospheric winds and the existence of large, wind-speed variations over periods of only several days. They also reveal that vertical wind shears of 0.030 per sec, and probably greater, exist at about 180,000 ft. A relationship is indicated between mesospheric circulation changes and subsequent tropospheric circulation changes. Examples are shown of the circulation over North America in spring and summer at heights up to 180,000 ft. Analysis of rocket wind-data indicates that the techniques are sound and that much can be learned by more intensive analysis. (Author).