Stratosphere Stratosphere The stratosphere () is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher and cooler layers closer to the Earth; this increase of temperature with altitude is a result of the absorption of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation by the ozone layer. This is in contrast to the troposphere, near the Earth's surface, where temperature decreases with altitude. The border between the troposphere and stratosphere, the tropopause, marks where this temperature inversion begins. Near the equator, the stratosphere starts at as high as ,
S-1 (satellite) 4". "S-1" was the first geocentric orbit launch attempt for the rocket; its second attempt on August 14, 1959, carrying the "Beacon 2" inflatable sphere experiment to low Earth orbit, also failed. Eventually, both the Juno II and a re-launch of the "S-1" mission, designated "Explorer 7" or "S-1A", found success on October 13, 1959. The satellite, which ended its mission in August 1961, is still orbiting the Earth today. S-1 (satellite) S-1, also known as Explorer S-1 and Explorer 7X, was a geoscience satellite equipped with a suite of scientific instruments to study the environment around the Earth. The