https://journals.ametsoc.org/jtech/article/37/6/1051/346031/Multihour-Stratospheric-Flights-with-the
Multihour Stratospheric Flights with the Heliotrope Solar Hot-Air Balloon Daniel C. Bowman; Paul E. Norman; Michael T. Pauken; Sarah A. Albert; Darielle Dexheimer; Xiao Yang; Siddharth Krishnamoorthy; Attila Komjathy; James A. Cutts J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol. (2020) 37 (6): 1051–1066. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-19-0175.1 Article history Split-Screen Views PDF Share Cite Get Permissions Abstract Standard meteorological balloons can deliver small scientific payloads to the stratosphere for a few tens of minutes, but achieving multihour level flight in this region is more difficult. We have developed a solar-powered hot-air balloon named the heliotrope that can maintain a nearly constant altitude in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere as long as the sun is above the horizon. It can accommodate scientific payloads ranging from hundreds of grams to several kilograms. The balloon can achieve float altitudes exceeding 24 km and fly for days in the Arctic summer, although sunset provides a convenient flight termination mechanism at lower latitudes. Two people can build an envelope in about 3.5 h, and the materials cost about $30. The low cost and simplicity of the heliotrope enables a class of missions that is generally out of reach of institutions lacking specialized balloon expertise. Here, we discuss the design history, construction techniques, trajectory characteristics, and flight prediction of the heliotrope balloon. We conclude with a discussion of the physics of solar hot-air balloon flight. Atmosphere, Aircraft observations, In situ atmospheric observations, Profilers, atmospheric, Radiosonde observations -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CAJ3C-06CS-dORK803G7mS96-mMCUFpb45HhniG%2BcVtn1GNr9%2BQ%40mail.gmail.com.
