NASA Balloon Technology Advancements -Balloons, Testing, Analysis, and Systems
Abstract
Advancing balloon system technology is at the heart of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Balloon Program Office's research and development efforts. These advances span a number of critical areas ranging from new techniques for materials characterization and structural design to flight test vehicles. A thorough understanding of the various balloon materials is key to extending and expanding the use of the current balloon designs. Particular emphasis has been placed on advanced methods for the characterization and analysis of the constituent components of the envelope structure, namely the film and the tendon. These components have been characterized over a broad range of temperatures and conditions that mimics the expected flight exposure conditions and loadings. This understanding is also needed to successfully design and test the next generation of balloon designs. An overview of these advances will be presented. Much of the technology advancements are focused on the NASA Super Pressure Balloon development. Integral parts to balloon development efforts are the analyses of the balloons and flight performance predictions. Overviews of these analyses in the context of balloon design and flight testing will be presented. The Super Pressure Balloon development is aimed at providing extended duration stable float altitude flights to the science community. A number of Super Pressure balloon test flights have been flow in the past two years. These flights have included incremental steps up in balloon volume and payload carrying capability. A very successful test flight of a 200,700 m3 balloon was launch in late 2008 from Antarctica. This balloon flew for over 54 days at a constant altitude and circled the Antarctic continent almost three times. Results of this flight will be presented. Two test flights, one from Sweden and one from Antarctica, of a 420,400 m3 balloon were completed in 2009. The results of these flights will also be presented. This paper will provide a current overview of the development approach pursued for the Super Pressure balloon. Future plans for additional test flights will be presented. Goals of the future test flights, which are staged in increments of increasing suspended load and altitude, will be presented. This will include the projected balloon volumes, payload capabilities, test flight locations, and proposed flight schedule.
- Publication:
-
38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010cosp...38.4081F