Research Balloon Lands in Antarctic
Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, January 22, 2002
A giant unmanned research balloon has been brought back to the ground in Antarctica after a record flight of nearly 32 days to study
Research Balloon Lands in Antarctic
Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, January 22, 2002
A giant unmanned research balloon has been brought back to the ground in Antarctica after a record flight of nearly 32 days to study particles from space, researchers said.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration brought the helium-filled balloon down Monday, ending a flight that studied atomic particles bombarding the Earth.
The balloon was launched from McMurdo Station, the main U.S. facility in Antarctica, by the National Scientific Balloon Facility, which New Mexico State University runs for NASA.
The balloon, which carried instruments for Washington University in St. Louis, took advantage of polar wind currents to make two circuits of Antarctica in the stratosphere, the region 12 to 30 miles above the ground, said Danny Ball, manager of the facility based in Palestine, Texas.
The facility launches 20 to 25 research balloons a year, Ball said. The balloons, each larger than a football field and launched at sites around the world, carry telescopes and other scientific instruments to the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
The previous balloon endurance record, set a year ago, was 26 days.
On the Net:
Balloon Facility: http://master.nsbf.nasa.gov