If you are located in the southern hemisphere area of the Earth, like the countries of Argentina or South Africa, it’s possible you could see the latest NASA attempt for a record balloon flight. Experimenting with a huge, pumpkin shaped, heavy-lift scientific balloon traveling in an attempt to make a long distance flight and break some current records as it flies around the globe.
NASA plans to launch the super pressure balloon Monday, March 23, from the town of Wanaka, New Zealand. They are aiming at breaking the existing record, which is 54 days of flight and believe that their balloon could stay up as long as 100 days if they get the right weather conditions to sustain it.
The balloon is built of about 22-acres of fabric that has been strengthened with load bearing tendons, as well as being totally sealed. After it is completely blown up, the balloon is 92 times the size of a normal blimp, which means you could fit a whole football stadium into it.
Liftoff for the super pressure balloon is set for between 8:30 and 11 a.m. and updates on its progress is to be posted onto the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s social media pages, as well as broadcast live on Radio Wanaka 92.2 FM.
The balloon is expected to go up to a constant floating altitude of 110,000 feet or 33.5 kilometers, and will go in an eastward direction while carrying a 5,000-pound or 2,267-kilogram payload containing a variety of tracking and communications instruments. NASA says that the balloon is expected to go around the Earth at least one time every 7 to 21 days, dependent upon stratosphere wind speeds.
It is a challenge for items such as the super pressure balloon to maintain a constant floating height as the majority of them vary in how high they go, which can be as much as 45,000 feet or 13.7 kilometers. This is dependent on the sporadic heating and cooling during the cycle of day and night.
Therefore, balloon mission operators usually release any excess weight in the form of ballasts to keep up the balloon’s altitude. Nevertheless, this balloon is designed to uphold a positive internal pressure and shape regardless of the environment it is in. To compare this process in other terms, it is similar to the manner in which a car’s tire pressure can change based on its environment.
This scheduled test mission is meant to authenticate the super pressure balloon’s technology, which NASA has been developing for the past 15 years. Plus, being able to travel for long distances and keep a stable altitude is expected to be important, say scientists, because it would expand the abilities of scientists to do research and could help in the search for developing new technologies and make new discoveries.
Balloons such as the super pressure balloon are a less expensive way that NASA tests instruments that would be later used in spacecraft missions. NASA has used similar balloons many times in the past to conduct low cost experiments and help to provide valuable data to scientists for various operations.
If you want to follow along with the balloon’s mission, more information can be found at www.csbf.nasa.gov
