N.Z. Part In Ionospherics

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30479, 29 June 1964, Page 1

N.Z. Part In Ionospherics

(N.Z. Press. Association) AUCKLAND, June 28. New Zealand •is playing a major part in studies of the ionosphere through the use of satellites and long-distance radio waves, according to Dr. J. E. Titheridge, senior research fellow at Auckland University;

Dr. Titheridge returned to Auckland at the week-end after six weeks overseas visiting radio and satellite research laboratories in Britain and America.

In Britain, he attended meetings of a working committee of the International Scientific Radio Union on the analysis of records from ionospheric sounders.

“There are more than 200 stations throughout the world taking ionograms (ionospheric records) at least every hour of the day, and during this year and next year-—the International Year of the Quiet Sun —many of them will be making records every 15 minutes,” Dr. Titheridge said. Copies of these records, which were on 35 mm. photographic film, were sent to four world data centres in Britain, America, Russia and Japan, and were available to any scientist in the world.

Records could also be obtained through a regional data centre at Woomera, Australia. New Zealand has four ionosonde stations, at Christchurch, Rarotonga, Campbell Island and Scott Base.

In America, Dr. Titheridge spent some time at the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Washington. At the Goddard Space Research Centre, near Washington, he discussed plans for observations of a beacon satellite, to be launched in August. This satellite will carry radio transmitters for studies of the ionosphere. New Zealand will have six stations recording signals from this satellite, at Rarotonga, Auckland, Wellington. Invercargill, Campbell Island and Scott Base.

“New Zealand will play an important role in the beacon observations, since our chain of stations is the most extensive . in the world. Scott

Base, too, is the only recording station in the polar regions, and should yield some very valuable data.”