In August 2004, a giant ozone balloon as tall as a 25-story building will be launched from a farm field in Vanscoy, Saskatchewan. The balloon will carry a 2-metre-high payload of scientific instruments weighing 550 kg up into the stratosphere to make measurements of the earth's ozone layer. Environment Canada and partners the Canadian Space Agency, the University of Toronto, York University and the University of Waterloo will be involved in the launch. Although considerable action has been taken to protect the earth's ozone layer, scientists are still concerned about ozone loss over the Arctic and see a need to be vigilant to detect any new threats to the ozone layer. The giant balloon, one of the MANTRA series, will carry 11 instruments, including an ozone-measuring instrument called "MAESTRO", which was developed in 2002 by Environment Canada. The original MAESTRO instrument was launched in 2003, on board a Canadian science satellite, and is now measuring the ozone layer from space. The balloon-borne version of MAESTRO and some of the other instruments that are part of the balloon payload will take readings as the satellite passes which will serve to verify that the measurements coming in from the satellite are accurate.
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