Ultraviolet-absorption photometer for measurement of ozone on a rocket-boosted payload

We developed a rocket payload to perform in situ measurements of atmospheric ozone at the University of Houston. The ozone detector is a dual-beam UV-absorption photometer that uses the 253.7-nm radiation from a low-pressure mercury-vapor lamp to illuminate two identical absorption chambers. We describe the design features and the operation of the instrument. The fundamental resolution of the photometer is shown to be 2.7 × 10(15) molecules m(-3). We present the ozone profile measured during parachute descent following boosted ascent to 60 km by a Nike-Orion rocket. The uncertainty in the measurement of this ozone profile is estimated to be 8.2%.