(CNN) -- Exploring the heavens with spaceships and fancy orbiting telescopes like the Hubble is pretty routine stuff for NASA. But the space agency is going low-tech to get a good look at an eagerly anticipated comet. The space agency plans to launch a balloon -- yes, a balloon -- to study Comet ISON, the much-hyped comet that many hope will put on a big sky show in coming months. Astronomers are scrambling to figure out ways to learn more about the comet, and that's where the balloon comes in. This isn't the kind of balloon you buy for kids at a party store, but they do have some things in common.
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A giant NASA balloon is being used to get a good look at Comet ISON
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The balloon will rise to 120,000 feet
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Comet ISON could put on show this winter
But the @placeholder balloons can carry a payload weighing 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms), or about the weight of three small cars.