New high-altitude, heavy-lifter balloon successfully flight-tested

Published on January 13th, 2009

Posted by Eideard in Technology, science

NASA and the National Science Foundation have successfully launched and demonstrated a newly designed super pressure balloon prototype that may enable a new era of high-altitude scientific research. The super-pressure balloon ultimately will carry large scientific experiments to the brink of space for 100 days or more.

This seven-million-cubic-foot super-pressure balloon is the largest single-cell, super-pressure, fully-sealed balloon ever flown. When development ends, NASA will have a 22 million-cubic-foot balloon that can carry a one-ton instrument to an altitude of more than 110,000 feet…

Ultra-long duration missions using the super pressure balloon cost considerably less than a satellite and the scientific instruments flown can be retrieved and launched again, making them ideal very-high altitude research platforms.

You can track the balloons online. Which is a real gas. Har!

7 users responded in " New high-altitude, heavy-lifter balloon successfully flight-tested "

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# 1 Miguel said, on January 13th, 2009 at 9:17 am

How about using these for space tourism? Cheaper and MUCH, MUCH safer than the commercial ventures around (Spaceship One…) and you could parachute back a la Joe Kittinger. Or some other, more comfortable, way of returning to earth could be devised.

Just a thought.

# 2 Ron Larson said, on January 13th, 2009 at 9:47 am

Why single cell? Why not 2, or 3? I think relying in a single cell is dangerous.

# 3 chuck said, on January 13th, 2009 at 10:32 am

110,000 feet is about 20 miles. Not exactly the “edge” of space.

But it might make a good bomb platform.

Space Ship One goes 60 miles up.

# 4 Miguel said, on January 13th, 2009 at 10:42 am

Sorry, I only do metric

But I was under the impression these balloons could go much higher.

# 5 BillM said, on January 13th, 2009 at 10:51 am

How far could this carry a Brazilian priest in a lawn chair?

# 6 James Hill said, on January 13th, 2009 at 11:06 am

Roswell, NM called. They want their alien back.

# 7 Buzz said, on January 13th, 2009 at 8:20 pm

#2: A multi-cell balloon that fails in one cell does not keep flying. It’s not like a multi-jet engine passenger plane. It’s not going to come down less quickly, either. If one cell fails, before the thing has fallen a mile or two, the other cells shred.

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