In situ measurements of water vapor in the stratosphere with a new instrument are reported. The instrument has been designed to observe daytime water vapor from a multi-instrument balloon gondola that simultaneously measures free radicals such as OH, HO2, and O3 in the stratosphere up to 40 km. Lyman-alpha photofragment fluorescence is used to measure water molecules in a flowing sample of ambient air. Outgassing from the interior walls of the instrument is avoided by cooling the walls with liquid nitrogen to a temperature near or below the dewpoint of the environment and by drawing air through the instrument with a fan. A brief description of the instrument is given, followed by the results of the first our balloon flights. Because frost formation in the scattering chamber resulted in a large and variable background, the data from July 15, 1987, have a relatively modest signal-to-noise ratio. The measured mixing ratio for this flight varies from 3.0--5.5 ppmv over the altitude range of 17--34 km. Adjustments in the cooling protocol for the flights of July 6, 1988, July 28, and August 25, 1989, result in a much higher signal-to-noise ratio. Profiles from these three flights are similar to, but somewhat higher, than the 1987 profile. The July 1988 and August 1989 profiles exhibit the highest mixing ratios, reaching peak values of about 6.5 ppmv near 35 km. Implications of these four measurements are discussed, as are the issues of short- and long-term variability of stratospheric water vapor. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990