Stratospheric Air Sampling Experiment at Syowa Station, Antarctica

A stratospheric and cryogenic air sampling experiment at Japanese Antarctic base, Syowa Station (69S, 40E), was successfully carried out using a scientific balloon of 34,000 m(3) on January 3, 1998. The collected air samples were analyzed for their minor constituents, and the results were compared with those over Sanriku (39N, 142E), Japan, and those over Kiruna (68N, 21E), Sweden, collected in 1997. It is first described that feasibility was studied on the balloon experiment with payload recovery at Syowa Station. The balloon operations were done with no ballooning specialist at the station. For smooth and reliable operations the ballooning facilities, such as a telemetry and telecommand system, a gas inflation system, a launching vehicle, and a rigging system were all designed simple and handy to set up in a short time and to operate easily and reliably. A computer network between Syowa Station and National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Tokyo, via INMARSAT was utilized to transfer telemetry data in realtime.