A System for Retrieving and Processing Data from Balloons at High Altitudes

A system was developed to transfer digital nuclear data and position control data from a high altitude balloon to earth for experiment control and monitoring purposes. The system was designed to be operated and maintained by personnel without access to, or familiarity with more complex military-aerospace telemetry data systems. Low cost, accessibility to the equipment and versatility are emphasized. Simple interfaces connect varied data sources and monitoring instruments to standard transfer units on the balloon and on the ground. A multiplexer-interface was designed to transfer data, recorded during a balloon flight, from a magnetic tape to a small computer which produces an IBM-compatible tape suitable for analysis by a large computer.