The largest balloon ever dismissed

2002/08/29 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronautika

NASA scientists have achieved a new record with balloons used to analyze the last extremes of the Earth's atmosphere. The balloon that took off 24 hours after the takeoff of 25 August has been the largest built for a scientific study.

The globe has a volume of 1.7 million cubic meters, twice the size of the balloons commonly used by NASA. The balloon load is composed of the heliosphere and the necessary instruments for the study of cosmic electrons, with a total weight of 690 kilos.

The balloon is controlled by radio. Once your work is finished, the signal from Earth is sent to the globe by radio. The signal pierces the balloon and opens a parachute. In this way, the devices and all the data collected are broken down without risk of deterioration.

The flight of August 25 is not the only one made by NASA. Since 1997 similar flights have been made every year, completing a recording of 120 hours with the data collected.