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<br />) <br /> <br />will ~roluce one three-mile liameter circle.(The circle ~attern is so a grounJ <br /> <br />observer can tell the Schweizer clou'l from other jet aircraft contrails in the <br /> <br />vicinity.) Of course, o~eration of any "OwereJ aircraft involves :lum"ing <br /> <br />carbon dioxide, water, trace combustion gases ani ~articles into the atmos~here. <br /> <br />Wo ho"'e to be able to Hstinguish the effects of our artificial nuclei from those <br /> <br />of the Schweizer exhaust. But it is interesting to note that the Schweizer bur~s <br /> <br />.' <br />an"'roximately 80 "ounds of fuel "er hour at cruising s"ee:l. Com"are this to ~ <br /> <br />the fuel consum"tion of the NCAR Sabreliner, another high-altitude aircraft <br /> <br />which is often usel to stuly the u~"er tro"os"'here. The Sabreliner consumes <br /> <br />an"roximately 1500 "ounrJs of fuel "er hour at cruising s"ee1. From a "oint of <br /> <br />view of environmental im"act, the Schweizer is a relatively innocuous beast. <br /> <br />Even if we were to burn one or two silver ioJi1e flares ~er flight, an.! maybe <br /> <br />trickle a bit of carbon :1 ioxide out of a small cylin ier, the overall effect <br /> <br />woulJ be far less than that "ro:luceJ by. flying the Sabre liner on a similar <br /> <br />mission just to stuly already-existing clouls. <br /> <br />(Of course, the Sabreliner flies much faster than the Schweizer an! SO <br /> <br />might be exnected to accomnlish the mission in less time. Thus, fuel consumntion <br /> <br />rates Jon't offer an i:Ieal means of com"aring total im"act. But the high s~eei <br /> <br />of the jet also means much more 'listance an'1 time are consume] in maneuvering <br /> <br />to stu:ly a small region. The overall reduction in mission time could not be <br /> <br />much more than 50~.) <br /> <br />While the "eo "Ie at CSU have been very helnful in letting us work through <br /> <br />them) the area in which they are nermitte:! to carry out seeling onerations <br /> <br /> <br />is only the northwest quaJrant of the state. Our oneration is a two man show. <br />