Recent meteorological rocket data and an international standard atmosphere to 50 kilometers

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Recent temperature measurements between 30 and 60 km are compared with the temperature-height profile for the U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1962. The mean annual midlatitude daytime temperature-height distribution derived from Meteorological Rocket Network (MRN) observations supports the assumption that the U.S. Standard Atmosphere temperature profile is representative of mean midlatitude daytime conditions between 30 and 53 km. Above 53 km the MRN temperatures are warmer than standard. Mean annual 50-km temperatures computed from grenade experiments at Ft. Churchill and Wallops Island are 5 degrees to 7 degrees C colder than those based on MRN thermistor measurements. Part of this difference is attributed to the diurnal variation in temperature near the stratopause. Temperature observations taken with the Soviet meteorological rocket at Heiss Island and Volgograd are compared with the MRN data and the U.S. Standard Atmosphere temperature-height profile. To satisfy the requirements for an International Standard Atmosphere to 50 km, it is recommended that the ICAO 32-km Standard Atmosphere be extended by adopting the 32- to 50-km layer of the U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1962. (Author).