Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 71 — page 80: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

An interesting article about a generally forgotten field of aviation—and the oldest BALLOONS MAKE A COME-BACK by KENNETH JOHNS T IS REMARKABLE THE WAY [oi ideas, inventions, ways of thought and methods of doing things come back into fashion after centuries of disuse. It might be thought that balloons are completely out-dated in this age of _ supersonic jet aircraft, guided missiles and artificial satellites; yet more upper atmosphere research is being performed with balloons than with all the other noisy mechanisms put together. Only recently has the full value of lighter-than-air craft been realised, particularly in the U.S. where Skyhook plas- tic balloons are being mass produced, each one capable of lifting half a ton of equipment 79 up to the frontiers of space. Why is there this rennais- sance of the balloon? Public attention has been ‘focused on the rocket as a research vehicle—it is cer- tainly more spectacular and is the only method of reaching heights much over 20 miles. But it has many drawbacks. Its flight duration is short; scientists are happy if they can record ten minutes of high-altitude conditions. And there is the problem of re- covering the valuable instru- ments and records—a rocket can dig as large a crater as a one-ton explosive charge. Telemetering results back to Earth and destruction of the stream-lining of rockets by conmmiclsooks. Conn