Flight Camera for Photographing Cloud Droplets in Natural Suspension in the Atmosphere Page: 2 of 24
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NACA RMI ESOKO1a
NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS
RESEARCH MEMORANDUM
FLIGlT CAMERA FOR PHOTOGRAPHING CLOUD DROPLETS
IN NATURAL SUSPENSION IN TEE ATMOSPHERE
By Stuart McCullough and Porter J. Perkins
SUMMARY
A camera designed for use in flight has been developed by the NACA
Lewis laboratory to photograph cloud droplets in their natural suspen-
sion in the atmosphere. A magnification of 32 times is employed to
distinguish for measurement purposes all sizes of droplets greater
than 5 microns in diameter. Photographs can be taken at flight speeds
up to 150 miles per hour tt 5-second intervals. A field area of 0.025
square inch is photographed on 7-inch-width roll film accommodating
40 exposures on an 18-foot length. Flight tests conducted in cumulus
clouds have shown that approximate droplet-size distribution studies
can be obtained and that studies of the microstructure and physics of
clouds can be made with the camera.
INTRODUCTION
In the study of the physics of clouds and the meteorological fac-
tors that are conducive to the icing of aircraft, it is necessary to
measure the sizes of the droplets within the clouds. Measuring methods
that involve catching the droplets while traveling at flight speeds are
subject to errors resulting from impact which cannot easily be evalu-
ated. The true sizes of the droplets can best be obtained while the
droplets are in their natural suspension in the atmosphere. One method
by which this may be accomplished in flight is to take high-speed photo-
graphs of the cloud using a suitable magnification system to distinguish
the individual droplets. The sizes of the droplets can then be meas-
ured directly from the film with an accuracy that may be easily evalu-
ated in the laboratory. This technique has been investigated by the
National Research Council of Canada (reference i).
Reported herein is a description of a camera and associated equip-
ment for photographing cloud droplets in flight. The camera was con-
structed and flight tested at the NACA Lewis laboratory.
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McCullough, Stuart & Perkins, Porter J. Flight Camera for Photographing Cloud Droplets in Natural Suspension in the Atmosphere, report, June 29, 1951; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc58691/m1/2/: accessed April 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.