to the automatic ballast valve system, a fixed-flow needle valve was set to discharge ballast slightly in excess of the expected loss. Both systems failed to keep the balloon afloat, and a slow descent from its maximum altitude of 14,000 feet MSL resulted. The expected altitude of 38,000 feet was not reached, and this is believed to be due to mixing of the air with the lifting gas during rising. The bottom of the balloon was open with no protecting skirt or valve to keep out air. Since the thin fabric would rupture with an internal pressure of 0.017 psi, some form of skirt or external appendix was suggested for future flights.
Radio reception with the 3 mc transmitter was excellent and far surpassed the performance of either the 72 mc or 394 mc transmitters which were also flown.
Because of the low elevation angle of the transmitter, the single SCR-658 radio direction-finding equipment was not of much use for positioning. Tracking by aircraft was satisfactory throughout the flight.
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