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September 9, 2010 Updated

Atmospheric balloon experiment BS10-06 completed

At 5:38 a.m. on September 8, 2010, JAXA released the fourth balloon of the second balloon experiment in Japan Fiscal Year 2010 from the Taiki Aerospace Research Field, the base of the collaborative work. The release experiment, called BS10-06, aimed at testing the high-altitude thin film balloon flight performance and observing the ozone and atmospheric gravitational waves. The balloon that was expanded to its full capacity of 60,000 m3 was made of a thin film for high altitude with a thickness of 3.4 micrometers, and it ascended about 300 meters per minute.
In this experiment, we achieved the scheduled objectives of flight verification for a thin-film high-altitude balloon using the polyethylene thin film that is wider than conventional films, and the balloon's tearing mechanism for a thin-film balloon. At the same time, the balloon carried out precise observations on the ozone, wind velocity, temperature and air pressure using two kinds of ozone measurement devices -- an optical type and electrochemical type (ECC,) -- to observe the ozone's altitude distribution and atmospheric gravitational waves between the near ground area and the upper stratosphere. Both the high-precision ECC ozonesonde and the precision optical ozonsonde functioned properly at an altitude of less than 30 km and higher than 30 km respectively, and we successfully observed the upper stratospheric regions at an altitude of 46.8 km.
We were able to acquire enough data to study changes in the ozone and atmospheric gravitational waves over years and places by comparing the data from this experiment with the first data acquisition at the Taiki Aerospace Research Field, and past observation results acquired at the Sanriku Balloon Center.

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Overview

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Like satellites and rockets, scientific balloons provide opportunities for scientific observations and space engineering demonstrations. A helium-gas-filled balloon made of thin polyethylene film can float a payload into the stratosphere. Because of the loose restrictions on the size and weight of the payload, many challenging experiments with state-of-the-art equipment have been conducted. Recovered equipment can be upgraded for subsequent flight opportunities to obtain further scientific achievements. Scientific balloons brought up both scientists and equipment pioneering new space science.
From 1971 to 2007, more than 400 heavy balloons have been launched from Sanriku, Iwate. From 2008, domestic balloon campaigns are being carried out at Taiki, Hokkaido. Flights circumnavigating the South Pole have been conducted as long duration flights, and southern sky observations are being carried out by the Japan-Brazil international collaboration.
In order to fly heavier payloads at higher altitudes for longer durations, a new generation of balloons has been developed. Super-pressure balloons will enable us to achieve ultra-long duration flights up to several months, and ultra-thin high-altitude balloons enable scientific observation in the mesosphere. Since its first manned flight 200 years ago, balloons are still developing at the frontier of space exploration.

Development of next generation balloons

Since balloons ascending to high altitude need to be extremely light, these balloons are made of a specially developed ultra-thin polyethylene film. A new world record of the highest unmanned balloon altitude of 53 km was established in 2003 by a 3.4 μm-thick balloon. Now such balloons are utilized for ozone observations in the mesosphere.
Super-pressure balloons, slightly pressurized inside, do not shrink even after sunset, so that they continue to float at a constant altitude for up to several months. R&D is currently being undertaken into a structure to minimize the stress on the film and the construction procedure.(Photo: Indoor inflation test)