MOGUL PROJECT

Developed by Watson Laboratories, Army Air Force AMC / Research Division, University of New York

Balloon launched on 6/4/1947, from Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, New Mexico, US

Purpose of the flight and payload description

Project Mogul was a top secret project carried out by the US Army Air Forces involving the launch of stratospheric balloons carrying sensitive microphones, whose primary purpose was long-distance detection of sound waves generated by Soviet atomic bomb tests. The project was carried out from 1947 until early 1949. The project was moderately successful, but was very expensive and ultimatelly was replaced by a network of seismic detectors and air sampling for fallout. After the first failed flight attempts performed in April and May 1947, from the football field at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the New York University team decided to look for a launch site with better wind conditions and less air traffic than that around New York City, so operations were moved to Alamogordo Army Air Field in New Mexico, where a Watson Laboratories field station was already in operation.

Details of the balloon flight

Balloon launched on: 6/4/1947 at ~ 3:00 mst
Launch site: Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, New Mexico, US  
Balloon launched by: University of New York
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Balloon Tandem Tandem (23 x 350gr)
Flight identification number: NYU 4
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 6/4/1947
Landing site: Balloons broke free

External references

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