# Stratoscope > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Stratoscope > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Stratoscope.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratoscope > Source revision: 1226043248 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Pair of balloon-borne telescopes}} {{Infobox telescope}} The '''Stratoscopes''' were two [balloon-borne astronomical telescopes](/source/Balloon-borne_telescope) which flew from the 1950s to the 1970s and observed in the [optical](/source/Optical_spectrum) and [infrared](/source/infrared) regions of the spectrum. Both were controlled remotely from the ground. Stratoscope I possessed a 12-inch (30.48 cm) mirror and was first flown in 1957. It was conceived by [Martin Schwarzschild](/source/Martin_Schwarzschild) and built by the [Perkin Elmer Corporation](/source/PerkinElmer) with funding provided by the [Office of Naval Research](/source/Office_of_Naval_Research). A small secondary mirror focussed the image from the primary into a 35 mm movie camera, which captured the images on film. Schwarzschild used the telescope to study the turbulence and [granulation](/source/Granule_(solar_physics)) in the [Sun](/source/Sun)'s [photosphere](/source/photosphere). Stratoscope II, a 36-inch (91.4 cm) reflecting telescope, flew from 1963 to 1971. This larger project proved to be beyond the ability of the university-led research team funded by ONR and, later, the [National Science Foundation](/source/National_Science_Foundation), so was managed by [NASA](/source/National_Aeronautics_and_Space_Administration) as a beginning of its scientific ballooning program led by [Nancy Grace Roman](/source/Nancy_Grace_Roman).{{cite interview |subject=Nancy G. Roman |interviewer=David DeVorkin |date=August 19, 1980 |publisher=Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics |title=Oral Histories: Nancy G. Roman |place=College Park, MD, USA |url=http://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/4846 }} The gondola it was mounted on weighed 3.5 tons. It studied planetary [atmosphere](/source/Celestial_body_atmosphere)s, the atmospheres of [red giant](/source/red_giant) stars, and [galaxies](/source/Galaxy). On early flights of Stratoscope II, photographic film was used, but this was soon replaced by television detectors. ==References== ==External links== *Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM): [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/mirror-telescope-stratoscope-i/nasm_A19820362000 Mirror, Telescope, Stratoscope I] *Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM): [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/model-telescope-stratoscope-ii-16/nasm_A19650085000 Perkin Stratoscope II Telescope model] *[https://stratocat.com.ar/fichas-e/1957/NBR-19570822a.htm Detailed account of the test flight of Stratoscope from New Brighton (MN) 8/22/57] *[https://stratocat.com.ar/fichas-e/1957/NBR-19570925a.htm Detailed account of the third flight of Stratoscope from New Brighton (MN) 9/25/57] *[https://stratocat.com.ar/fichas-e/1957/HUR-19571017.htm Detailed account of the third flight of Stratoscope from Huron (SD) 10/17/57] Category:Balloon-borne telescopes Category:Infrared telescopes {{telescope-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Stratoscope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratoscope) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratoscope?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.