Air Force geophysical research

The operational and engineering problems encountered in acquiring and maintaining air supremacy are manifold. Not the least of these problems concerns the behavior, characteristics, and properties of the atmosphere and the related phenomena of the lithosphere and the hydrosphere which directly or indirectly influence the atmosphere, the medium in which the Air Force operates. As part of the Air Research and Development Command, the Geophysics Research Directorate of the Air Force Cambridge Research Center carries on a major portion of the investigation being conducted today to increase our knowledge of such geophysical phenomena as are pertinent to air operating techniques and procedures. The fruits of this research contribute not only to new concepts of air warfare and to the over‐all effectiveness of the United States Air Force, but also to the national economy through application of results to civil aviation, agriculture, hydroelectricity, and flood control.