Scientific ballooning in the 20th century; A historical perspective

Hess discovered the cosmic rays in 1912. Using a manned balloon, he found the altitude variation of the radiation. After this discovery, many balloon experiments were performed to explore the most mysterious radiation coming from outside of the earth during the 1920's to the 1930's. At the end of the 1940's, balloon systems were revolutionized by the use of new plastic films and telemetry systems. At almost the same time, highly sensitive nuclear emulsions were developed. Balloon exposures of emulsions brought us new discoveries of the heavy primaries in cosmic rays. Extensive studies with nuclear emulsions discovered high-energy phenomena and new particles between the end of 1940's to the 1960's. At the same time, in various countries, experiments with more sophisticated electronic devices were begun together with ingenious work on balloon technology. Inventions were made in the areas of designing, manufacturing, materials, telemetry systems for balloons and long duration flight systems etc. Several permanent launching stations were established in various countries in the 1960's Here, I review the development of essential technologies in scientific ballooning, and their value in contributing to the growth of space physics. As the future prospect, I stress the point that scientific ballooning is indispensable and a most cost-effective way to explore space astrophysics and Earth science, in addition to the preparation of satellite and the space station experiments. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.