STRATOLAB HIGH IV - (Moore - Ross)

Named "STRATO-LAB HIGH #4", this flight was part of an astrophysical research program sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation, with its principal objective to determine the feasibility of conducting astrnomical research utilizing a manned balloon borne observatory.

The flight was piloted by Commander Malcolm D. Ross USNR, and Charles B. Moore of Arthur D. Little, inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts while the Johns Hopkins University Laboratory of Astrophysics and Physical Meteorology, under the direction of Professor John Strong was responsible for the development and fabrication of the Schmidt telescope and spectrograph system which comprised the primary scientific equipment carried aloft on this flight.

Balloon launched on: 11/28/1959
Launch site: Stratobowl, Black Hills, South Dakota, US  
Balloon launched by: Winzen Research Inc.
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon Winzen
Balloon serial number: 172.6-200-V-78
Flight identification number: WRI 838
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 11/29/1959
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 28 h 15 m
Landing site: Near Blaine, Kansas, US
Payload weight: 3897 lbs

The balloon was launched on November 28, 1959, at 10:16 AM MST, from the Stratobowl near Rapid City, South Dakota. Commander Malcolm D. Ross USNR and Charles B. Moore from Arthur D. Little, Inc. formed the two-man scientific crew who spent over twenty-four hours in the stratosphere. The mission, designated "STRATO-LAB HIGH #4," was part of an astrophysical research program jointly sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation. Its primary goal was to assess the viability of conducting astronomical research from a manned balloon-borne observatory. The Johns Hopkins University Laboratory of Astrophysics and Physical Meteorology, under Professor John Strong and his assistant John McClellan, developed the telescope and spectrograph system that served as the primary scientific equipment. Winzen Research Inc. of Minneapolis served as the prime contractor for the aerostat and sealed gondola system development, including life support and operational systems.

The flight preparation faced a 27-day delay while waiting for suitable meteorological conditions. The actual launch day on November 28 experienced several complications, including a small fire inside the sealed cabin just before launch. Despite these challenges, the balloon/gondola observatory successfully became airborne at 10:16 AM.

By 12:25 MST, the craft reached its ceiling altitude of 79,000 feet near Hay Springs, Nebraska, having traveled southward during its ascent. The flight then continued in a generally southeastern direction. After 28 hours and 13 minutes aloft, Commander Ross landed the system near Frankfort, Kansas at 14:29 MST on November 29, 1959.

The mission marked several significant achievements. It demonstrated the feasibility of conducting astronomical research from a manned balloon-borne platform above most of Earth's atmosphere, making it perhaps the most notable of all STRATO-LAB HIGH flights from a scientific perspective. It also set a record for the heaviest load ever carried on a manned stratosphere flight using a plastic balloon, with a gross inflation of 5,567 pounds lifting a payload of 3,897 pounds.

The mission concluded with an unfortunate incident when high surface winds caught the safety parachute after landing, dragging the gondola for nearly one-third of a mile and causing severe damage. Despite this setback, the flight successfully proved the viability of manned balloon stratosphere research. The entire mission represented the culmination of over two years of preparation and collaborative effort among numerous individuals and organizations.

• Cosmic-Ray Monitoring of the Manned Stratolab Balloon Flights Technical report AFCRL TN 60-640 (1960)
• Flight Summary Log Winzen Research Inc. report (1963)
• Infrared Astronomy by Balloon Scientific American, vol. 212, issue 1, pp. 28-37
• Strato Lab High #4 Post Flight Report Winzen Research Inc Technical Report, 1961
• Stratolab, an Evolutionary Stratospheric Balloon Project - an article by Gregory Kennedy