Abundance of cosmic-ray elements from sulfur to nickel as a function of atmospheric depth
The measured elemental composition of cosmic rays with charge Z from 16-28 as a function of atmospheric depth was compared with a propagation calculation including energy loss. The resulting composition at the top of the atmosphere has better precision than previously possible on balloon borne experiments, and agrees well with the only satellite data available in this charge range. The extrapolation method also provides checks on assumed cross-sections for interactions of cosmic rays in air.