High-Altitude Balloon Experiments, Clubs, Teams, Organisations
The more one looks, the more balloon projects one finds! Some of the groups encountered - but there are many more:
The Project Aether organisation, bringing high-altitude ballooning to educational institutions.
ARHAB (Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning) organisation (where we posted the mission announcement).
The Arizona Near-Space Research group is 'promoting science and education by exploring frontiers in amateur radio and high altitude ballooning'. They have many years of launches to show, and a site with many good links.
The BEAR (Balloon Experiments with Amateur Radio) page shows the dedication and success of a group of friends who simply enjoyed high altitude ballooning. A lot of successful flights under their belt.
The CNSP (California Near-Space Project) recently launched a balloon from California that made it all the way to Morocco!
The HALO (High Altitude Object) balloon project, though only a single flight is shown, has some very impressive flight pictures.
There's an interesting company, JP Aerospace, billed as the 'other NASA', very active in bringing payloads up into near-space. Their PongSat work, lofting student experiments up into near-space, is worth reading.
The True Master of high-altitude ballooning is NASA: they've been lofting thousands of kg up to high-altitude using balloons holding millions of cubic feet of helium, and leaving them up there for weeks at a time! All this happens at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.
NSTAR (Nebraska Stratospheric Amateur Radio), another professional group pushing into the stratosphere.
Just a group of primary school students going into space, at Reaching the Stratosphere. They made it seem easy! But a very well-organised project, and the website is very well-done.
UCSD (University of California San Diego) Near-Space Balloon project. A lot of launches under their belt.
UNR (University of Nevada - Reno) NevadaSat high-altitude balloon organisation. A good technical resource.
The US Naval Academy balloon projects - some real tinkerers, interesting ideas. Check out their very small payloads.
Bill Brown, WB8ELK, balloon projects in Huntsville AL. Some interesting work, including live TV transmission from a balloon.
The Project Aether organisation, bringing high-altitude ballooning to educational institutions.
ARHAB (Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning) organisation (where we posted the mission announcement).
The Arizona Near-Space Research group is 'promoting science and education by exploring frontiers in amateur radio and high altitude ballooning'. They have many years of launches to show, and a site with many good links.
The BEAR (Balloon Experiments with Amateur Radio) page shows the dedication and success of a group of friends who simply enjoyed high altitude ballooning. A lot of successful flights under their belt.
The CNSP (California Near-Space Project) recently launched a balloon from California that made it all the way to Morocco!
The HALO (High Altitude Object) balloon project, though only a single flight is shown, has some very impressive flight pictures.
There's an interesting company, JP Aerospace, billed as the 'other NASA', very active in bringing payloads up into near-space. Their PongSat work, lofting student experiments up into near-space, is worth reading.
The True Master of high-altitude ballooning is NASA: they've been lofting thousands of kg up to high-altitude using balloons holding millions of cubic feet of helium, and leaving them up there for weeks at a time! All this happens at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.
NSTAR (Nebraska Stratospheric Amateur Radio), another professional group pushing into the stratosphere.
Just a group of primary school students going into space, at Reaching the Stratosphere. They made it seem easy! But a very well-organised project, and the website is very well-done.
UCSD (University of California San Diego) Near-Space Balloon project. A lot of launches under their belt.
UNR (University of Nevada - Reno) NevadaSat high-altitude balloon organisation. A good technical resource.
The US Naval Academy balloon projects - some real tinkerers, interesting ideas. Check out their very small payloads.
Bill Brown, WB8ELK, balloon projects in Huntsville AL. Some interesting work, including live TV transmission from a balloon.
Convention, Policy, Regulation, Legal Stuff
The first question always asked is, is it legal? The reference is 14 CFR Part 101, or US Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 101, covering unmanned free balloons, here posted by Edge of Space Sciences. (Keeping your spacecraft weight under 4 lbs is usually what prevents FAR 101 from applying to you.)
Given the proximity to Canada, the same question could be asked of Canadian airspace. The Canadian Legoman project got an answer from Transport Canada, concerning unmanned balloon flights. (They seem to more restrictive: unmanned balloons with more than 115 cubic feet of lifting gas require Canadian Government approval.)
Returning to the US, many high-altitude balloon groups try to abide by FAR 101 even if it does not apply, to avoid creating hazards to aviation. An interesting website maintained by NARCAP (National Aviation Reporting Center for Anomalous Phenomenon) has a section Project Sphere, and a report discussing, indirectly, unmanned balloons and their threat to aircraft.
In Europe, if one ever got that far (some have!), it's a bit tougher to understand the applicable rules. Here's a good publication from the European Union discussing common (to member nations) rules of the air. Appendix 2 discusses unmanned balloons - it appears that the 'light' category (< 4 lb payload) follow similar rules as in the US.
Given the proximity to Canada, the same question could be asked of Canadian airspace. The Canadian Legoman project got an answer from Transport Canada, concerning unmanned balloon flights. (They seem to more restrictive: unmanned balloons with more than 115 cubic feet of lifting gas require Canadian Government approval.)
Returning to the US, many high-altitude balloon groups try to abide by FAR 101 even if it does not apply, to avoid creating hazards to aviation. An interesting website maintained by NARCAP (National Aviation Reporting Center for Anomalous Phenomenon) has a section Project Sphere, and a report discussing, indirectly, unmanned balloons and their threat to aircraft.
In Europe, if one ever got that far (some have!), it's a bit tougher to understand the applicable rules. Here's a good publication from the European Union discussing common (to member nations) rules of the air. Appendix 2 discusses unmanned balloons - it appears that the 'light' category (< 4 lb payload) follow similar rules as in the US.
Relevant / Interesting Publications
Radiosondes are the basis of high-altitude ballooning, so some papers follow. A nice powerpoint presentation on the history of radiosondes, from the UK Met Office. Another paper from the University of Chile discussing their experiments involving radiosondes. Related to that, an admirable effort by a engineering student in New Zealand trying to understand and adapt a Vaisala radiosonde. Best of all, a concise description of modern radiosonde technology and use written by Vaisala and NCAR. Finally, a website billed as the radiosonde museum.
Aside from radiosondes, balloons are used in other ways. One is to measure winds vs altitude as an aid to field artillery: check out US Army Field Manual 03-09.15 on Field Artillery Meteorology. They seem well-versed in inflating and launching balloons on the battlefield.
APRS is often used as a radio tracking system for high-altitude balloons, so several beginner's guides to APRS are provided: the APRS Beginner's Guide from K9DCI; APRS from the Bottom Up from N2YGK; and for digging into the packet themselves, the APRS Protocol Reference from the APRS Working Group.
(TBD)
Aside from radiosondes, balloons are used in other ways. One is to measure winds vs altitude as an aid to field artillery: check out US Army Field Manual 03-09.15 on Field Artillery Meteorology. They seem well-versed in inflating and launching balloons on the battlefield.
APRS is often used as a radio tracking system for high-altitude balloons, so several beginner's guides to APRS are provided: the APRS Beginner's Guide from K9DCI; APRS from the Bottom Up from N2YGK; and for digging into the packet themselves, the APRS Protocol Reference from the APRS Working Group.
(TBD)
Science and Engineering
The Dino Mission. Worth reading for the recovery phase, which is often ignored . . . until your spacecraft is stuck up in a tree.
The HobbySpace Near-Space site, loaded with tons of links and materials.
Paul Verhage wrote the book on high-altitude balloon engineering, and his material is hosted at parallax.com.
Fundamentals: air pressure vs. altitude.
Great detail on air density and density altitude equations and calculations.
Some information on windspeed vs. altitude, derived from the International Reference Atmosphere.
Online calculators for weather-related parameters.
Displays of variation in ascent rate vs. altitude (from the expected constant value) from various balloons.
(TBD)
The HobbySpace Near-Space site, loaded with tons of links and materials.
Paul Verhage wrote the book on high-altitude balloon engineering, and his material is hosted at parallax.com.
Fundamentals: air pressure vs. altitude.
Great detail on air density and density altitude equations and calculations.
Some information on windspeed vs. altitude, derived from the International Reference Atmosphere.
Online calculators for weather-related parameters.
Displays of variation in ascent rate vs. altitude (from the expected constant value) from various balloons.
(TBD)
Lessons Learned
Failure in linkage between balloon and parachute. Very disappointing to have the balloon ascend without the spacecraft! Bryn Athyn College Near-Space Mission. YouTube video.
(TBD)
(TBD)
Miscellany
A professional execution this time, of the tragic stunt of tying party balloons to a lawn chair and riding it into the clouds (A Darwin Award winner.) This time, a very well-planned and successful launch; pilot made it back to Earth. YouTube video. Not sure who sponsored it, but the video points to an ad agency Type G.
Quite an interesting site on fire balloons at overflite.com, some many made with dry cleaner bags. While not in the same class as high altitude ballooning, it is a reminder that ballooning got its start with flying paper lanterns, centuries ago.
A comprehensive website detailing stratospheric ballooning, past and present, StratoCat. (No relation to our humble site.)
Quite an interesting site on fire balloons at overflite.com, some many made with dry cleaner bags. While not in the same class as high altitude ballooning, it is a reminder that ballooning got its start with flying paper lanterns, centuries ago.
A comprehensive website detailing stratospheric ballooning, past and present, StratoCat. (No relation to our humble site.)