OXFORD played home to some of the most sophisticated research into atmospheric physics as it took part in a £100,000 British Satellite experiment in 1967.
Physicists at the Clarendon Laboratory were working to help satellites provide accurate weather forecasts up to two weeks ahead, as they were already doing 48 hours in advance.
The project was the biggest and most expensive experiment to date apart from the UK I, II and III satellites launched by America.
The 1967 experiment was carried out in partnership with Reading University and was expected to go up in the Nimbus D American weather satellite in 1969, carried on a Thor Aegena rocket launched in California.
The launch was expected to cost $50,000,000.
Scientists hoped the instrument would send back information on air temperature at different heights all over the world.
The Oxford part of the satellite measures air temperature from ground level to 50km remotely from its 1,000km high orbit by looking at infra red light emitted by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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