National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Goddard Space Flight Center
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Balloon Program Office
Operations
Operational Capabilities
Mission Model
- Two Conventional Balloon campaigns per year
- Two Long-Duration Balloon (LDB) campaigns per year
- Polar LDB campaign
- Every year from McMurdo, Antarctica
- Every other year from Esrange, Sweden to Canada or Alaska
- Mid-latitude LDB campaign
- Every other year from Wanaka, New Zealand to South America; within safety constraints, these could be around-the-world
- As science needs, from Alice Springs, Australia to South America
- Polar LDB campaign
- Development of Super-Pressure Balloon
- 100-day flight goal (Ultra Long Duration Balloon, ULDB)
- Mid-latitude or Antarctica campaign
- Little or no day/night altitude variation
Balloon Capability - Suspended Weight vs. Altitude
Note: In using the graphs or table, the suspended weight includes the Science Payload and CSBF flight support equipment (e.g., ballast hoopers, CIP, etc.)
Mission Altitude Profiles
- Palestine, TX Launch of 1579N - GLAST BFEM on a 29 MCF - 4 Aug 2001
- Fort Sumner Launch of 699N - BITSE/WASP on a 39 MCF - 18 Sept 2019
- Fort Sumner Launch of 702N (turn-around) - JPL-Remote-GLO on a 29 MCF - 7 Oct 2019
- Esrange, Sweden Launch of 684N - PCM Turbo on a 29 MCF - 18 Jul 2018
- McMurdo, Antarctica Launch of 676N - STO II on a 39 MCF - 8 Dec 2016
- Wanaka, New Zealand Launch of 662NT - SPB on a 18.24 MCF - 26 Mar 2015
NASA Code 820
Scientific Balloon Update
Report back for the latest update from NASA's Balloon Program Office.
- NASA Official: Debora Fairbrother
- Point of Contact: Valerie Brizak