NASA’s Antarctic “Balloons On Ice” Begin Launches

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NASA had two successful launches of its largest scientific balloons this week in Antarctica as part of a three-flight series on behalf of university researchers studying components of outer space. The project, NASA’s Antarctica Long Duration Balloon Flight Campaign, uses unmanned balloons with 40 million cubic feet of volume, as big as a football stadium, that will take advantage of the unique Antarctic climate. The balloons carry solar-powered instruments that will run reliably with the 24-hour sunlight available during Antarctic summers. Meanwhile, the air mass circulating over the continent will keep a balloon circling aloft over land about 24 miles high. Its predictable path will make it easily recoverable after flights that will last about 20 days.

Clear, calm skies allowed the launches to take place early, NASA announced. Friday’s launch, commissioned by the University of Hawaii at Manoa, took place from the Ross Ice Shelf near the McMurdo research station to gather data for studying particles from stars that are present in Antarctic ice. The first launch took place Monday for the University of Maryland, which is examining cosmic rays. Weather permitting, the third launch for a University of Arizona project is slated for mid-December, NASA said. The flights are engineered and operated under a NASA contract by Orbital ATK, which also launches unmanned cargo rockets into space for the agency.

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