1947 Flying in a specially outfitted aircraft, Vincent Schaefer of the General Electric Company dropped small dry-ice pellets into cumulus clouds over a forest fire near Concord, Massachusetts, in an attempt to produce artificial precipitation and douse the flames. Shortly after Schaefer landed, a rain did indeed begin to fall over the area, but because of simultaneous rainfall from unseeded clouds nearby, it was impossible to determine how successful the experiment had been. We could sure use this technology during wildfire season. I wonder how much further research has been done.
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