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Science 30 August 1968:
Vol. 161. no. 3844, pp. 888 - 891
DOI: 10.1126/science.161.3844.888
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Articles

Solar Constant: First Direct Measurements

E. G. Laue 1 and A. J. Drummond 2

1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
2 Eppley Laboratory, Newport, Rhode Island 02840

The solar constant was directly measured from an altitude of about 82 kilometers-apparently the first such determination. The total solar intensity was 136.1 milliwatts per square centimeter, or 1.952 calories per square centimeter, per minute-about 2.5 percent less than Johnson's derived value. Energy in the ultraviolet and visible regions (for lgr less than 607 nanometers) was 7.0 percent less than that obtained by integration over Johnson'Scurve; for integral flux of lgr greater than 607 nanometers there was almost perfect agreement. Seven supporting series of measurements from lower altitudes agreed extremely well with these results after correction for atmospheric extinction.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)