QUESTION:
How do you collect atmosphere?

ANSWER from Ben Burress on May 11:
I assume that this question refers to the recent
collection of atmospheric samples performed in the aft
end of the KAO during astronomy research flights.  Ordinarily
we collect only photons on the KAO.  For the past few flights,
however, we have been flying with a "piggy back" research
team in the aft end of the airplane which has been operating
more or less independently of the rest of us.  The purpose
of this air sample collection is to measure the amounts of
the radioactive noble gas radon in our atmosphere.

During ascent and descent of the airplane, air compressors suck 
in air from the outside atmosphere through a small pipe, which 
sticks out through a hole just under and aft of the right wing of 
the airplane.  Each sample takes about two minutes to collect, and 
they are stored in a rack of pressure bottles on the aft
cargo ramp.