BALLOON-POWERED INTERNET FOR EVERYONE http://www.google.com/loon
Many of us think of the Internet as a global community. But two-thirds of the worlds population does not yet have Internet access. Project Loon is a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to connect people in rural and remote areas, help fill coverage gaps, and bring people back online after disasters. Project Loon balloons float in the stratosphere, twice as high as airplanes and the weather. They are carried around the Earth by winds and they can be steered by rising or descending to an altitude with winds moving in the desired direction. People connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from balloon to balloon, then to the global Internet back on Earth. Project Loon starts in June 2013 with an experimental pilot in New Zealand. A small group of Project Loon pioneers will test the technology in Christchurch and Canterbury. Project Loon balloons travel around 20 km above the Earths surface in the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are generally steady and slow- moving at between 5 and 20 mph, and each layer of wind varies in direction and magnitude. Project Loon uses software algorithms to determine where its balloons need to go, then moves each one into a layer of wind blowing in the right direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can be arranged to form one large communications network. Project Loons balloon envelopes are made from sheets of polyethylene plastic and stand fifteen meters wide by twelve meters tall when fully inflated. They are specially constructed for use in superpressure balloons, which are longer-lasting than weather balloons because they can withstand higher pressure from the air inside when the balloons reach float altitude. A parachute attached to the top of the envelope allows for a controlled descent and landing whenever a balloon is ready to be taken out of service. Each units electronics are powered by an array of solar panels that sits between the envelope and the hardware. In full sun, these panels produce 100 Watts of power - enough to keep the unit running while also charging a battery for use at night. By moving with the wind and charging in the sun, Project Loon is able to power itself using only renewable energy sources. A small box containing the balloons electronic equipment hangs underneath the inflated envelope, like the basket that is carried by a hot air balloon. This box contains circuit boards that control the system, radio antennas to communicate with other balloons and with Internet antennas on the ground, and batteries to store solar power so the balloons can operate during the night. Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area about 40 km in diameter at speeds comparable to 3G. For balloon-to-balloon and balloon-to-ground communications, the balloons use antennas equipped with specialized radio frequency technology. Project Loon currently uses ISM bands (specifically 2.4 and 5.8 GHz bands) that are available for anyone to use. The Project Loon pilot test begins June 2013 on the 40th parallel south. Thirty balloons, launched from New Zealands South Island, will beam Internet to a small group of pilot testers. The experience of these pilot testers will be used to refine the technology and shape the next phase of Project Loon. If you live in New Zealand and are interested in learning how to become a Project Loon pilot tester for a future set of launches, please sign up. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- <http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/06/17/google-to-beam-internet-from- balloons/> Google revealed top-secret plans Saturday to send balloons to the edge of space with the lofty aim of bringing Internet to the two-thirds of the global population currently without web access. Scientists from the technology giant released up to 30 helium-filled test balloons flying 20 kilometers above Christchurch in New Zealand Saturday, carrying antennae linked to ground base stations. While still in the early stages, Project Loon hopes eventually to launch thousands of balloons to provide Internet to remote parts of the world, allowing the more than four billion people with no access to get online. It could also be used to help after natural disasters, when existing communication infrastructure is affected. Project Loon is an experimental technology for balloon-powered Internet access, the company said on its latest project from its clandestine Google (x), where we work on radical, sci-fi-sounding technology solutions to solve really big world problems. Balloons, carried by the wind at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, can beam Internet access to the ground at speeds similar to todays 3G networks or faster, it added. It is very early days, but we think a ring of balloons, flying around the globe on the stratospheric winds, might be a way to provide affordable Internet access to rural, remote, and underserved areas down on earth below, or help after disasters, when existing communication infrastructure is affected. It works by ground stations connecting to the local Internet infrastructure and beaming signals to the balloons, which are self-powered by solar panels. The balloons, which once in the stratosphere will be twice as high as commercial airliners and barely visible to the naked eye, are then able to communicate with each other, forming a mesh network in the sky. Users below have an Internet antenna they attach the side of their house which can send and receive data signals from the balloons passing overhead. Some 50 people were chosen to take part in the trial and were able to link to the Internet. The first person to get Google Balloon Internet access was Charles Nimmo, a farmer and entrepreneur in the small town of Leeston who signed up for the experiment. He told the New Zealand Herald he received Internet access for about 15 minutes before the transmitting balloon he was relying on floated out of range. Its been weird, he told the newspaper. But its been exciting to be part of something new. Googles ultimate goal is to have a ring of balloonseach the length of a small light aircraft when fully inflatedcircling the Earth, ensuring there is no part of the globe that cannot access the web. But Richard DeVaul, chief technical architect at Google (x), cautioned that its awfully too early to think about covering the entire planet. The next step might be to make a ring of balloons around the same latitude as New Zealand, he added, to extend coverage to countries such as Australia, South Africa and Argentina. We think hundreds of balloons, maybe 300 or 400, might be necessary to complete that ring, DeVaul said. Google did not say how much it was investing in the project. The idea may sound a bit crazy and thats part of the reason were calling it Project Loon but theres solid science behind it, Google said, but added: This is still highly experimental technology and we have a long way to go. Project leader Mike Cassidy told reporters that if successful, the technology might allow countries to leapfrog the expense of installing fiber-optic cable. Its a huge moonshot, a really big goal to go after, he said. The power of the Internet is probably one of the most transformative technologies of our time. Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server
_______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
