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Stratospheric balloon launched from Antarctica’s McMurdo base

Aboard Cream, an experiment for the study of cosmic rays

A stratospheric balloon of Nasa was launched yesterday, December 16 at 1.28 a.m. Italian time from the Antarctica’s McMurdo base. The balloon raised Cream (Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass) experiment up to 40 kilometres of height. In the experiment, coordinated by Eun Suk Seo of Maryland University, participate American universities (Maryland, Chicago, Penn State, Ohio), South Korea universities (Ewa, KyungPook) and an Italian group of Pisa, Siena, and Torino departments of the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics (Infn), directed by Pier Simone Marrocchesi.

The balloon, following circulation of winds high quote, will sail around the ice continent for about three weeks. During this time, data of great scientific interest will be gathered. These data concern flows of charged particles of highest energy (cosmic rays) coming from Space.

Barbara Gallavotti | EurekAlert!
Further information:
http://www.infn.it
http://www.unisi.it/fisica/cream/

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