INTEGRATED GBR CAMPAIGN FOR THE STUDY OF THE D-REGION WINTER ANOMALY IN WESTERN-EUROPE 1975-76

An integrated rocket, balloon and ground observation campaign for the study of the D-region winter anomaly was performed in Western Europe from December 1975 to February 1976. A total of 22 experimenter groups with 38 different types of experiment participated in the campaign. Forty-seven rockets and 23 balloons were successfully launched from the range of 'El Arenosillo', Spain. Various coordinated groundbased experiments were performed in Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria and Germany. The structure of the campaign, the relevant geophysical background data, and a survey on the kind of data obtained is presented in this introductory paper. Specific scientific aspects and the respective results are covered by 12 subsequent papers. © 1979.