Book excerpt: "Scientific Ballooning and the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility" is the product of a NASA Historical Research Project on the History of Space and Earth Sciences with oversight of the NASA History Program Office. The work focuses on the post World War II era and the development of stratospheric ballons capable of lofting 8,000 pounds or more of scientific instruments to altitudes in excess of 120,000 feet for extended periods to enable the study of Earth's atmospheric and near space environment. It is a study of the design, engineering, the science, and the people, and of the international cooperation that has made this critical scientific investigation of Earth's near space environment possible.