"Scientific Ballooning and the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility" is the product of a NASA Historical Research Project on the History of Space and Earth Sciences with oversight of the NASA History Program Office. The work focuses on the post World War II era and the development of stratospheric ballons capable of lofting 8,000 pounds or more of scientific instruments to altitudes in excess of 120,000 feet for extended periods to enable the study of Earth's atmospheric and near space environment. It is a study of the design, engineering, the science, and the people, and of the international cooperation that has made this critical scientific investigation of Earth's near space environment possible.
About the Author: Henry C. Dethloff, Prof. Emeritus, Texas A&M University, received the BA from the University of Texas, MA Northwestern State Unversity-Louisiana, and Ph.D. University of Missouri. He served on active duty in the Navy, Ensign to Lt.Jg. (1956-1958) and in the reserves. He taught at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (1962-1969), and Texas A&M University (1969-1999), and served as Department Head (1980-1985), and member of the Texas A&M University Press Advisory Committee (1976-1997). Publications include: Suddenly, Tomorrow Came...A History of Johnson Space Center (NASA SP-4307), 1993) and with Ronald A. Schorn, To the Outer Planets and Beyond: Voyager's Grand Tour (Smithsonian Institute Press, 2003); The Centennial History of Texas A&M University, 1876-1976 (2 vols.); Texas Aggies Go to War: In Service of Their Country, 1898-2000 (with John A. Adams, Jr./ Texas A&M University Press, 2005); The U.S. and the Global Economy Since 1945 (Harcourt Brace, 1997); Americans and Free Enterprise (Prentice Hall, 1979), and is co-author with Keith L. Bryant, A History of American Business (Prentice Hall, 1983; rev. 1989). He has authored other books and articles relating to American business, economic, and agricultural history. His NASA-sponsored Exploring Near Space: Scientific Ballooning and the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (2012) is available in an electronic and copy-on-demand format from Amazon.com. He is president, Intaglio Research (1982-2012) which specializes in research and writing historical monographs in collaboration with relevant specialists, on technical subjects for a general audience.