A PROTOTYPE FOR IN-FLIGHT ACQUISITION AND POST-FLIGHT ANALYSIS OF STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOLS

“Stratospheric Census” is a low-cost prototype for inflight acquisition and post-flight analysis of stratospheric aerosols. The experiment was flown on the BEXUS-7 balloon from ESRANGE, Sweden on 8 October, 2008. A diaphragm vacuum pump generated airflow through a filter catching particles down to 0:4 µm in diameter. Remotely controlled valves ensure that no tropospheric air is sampled. Temperature monitoring and an autonomous failsafe mechanism ensure correct operation in the case of pump overheating or link loss. The experiment demonstrated an economical alternative to large in situ analysis techniques for stratospheric aerosol research. After recovery, advanced analysis methods that are not possible in flight ( -ray spectroscopy, autoradiography and neutron activation analysis) were used to investigate the particles captured by the filter.