The Stratocraft has azimuth pointing capability to maintain the vehicle’s solar
arrays facing the Sun for maximum power. Future flights will characterize the
pointing resolution and the jitter environment of the vehicle.
The Stratollite is a sensor agnostic vehicle capable of missions lasting up to 6
months that provides long dwell capability depending on regional and seasonal
stratospheric wind conditions and offers a multitude of applications to meet the
broad needs of the science community. It can operate globally with support for
launch and flight operations from World View’s headquarters in Arizona.
5.2.3 Pointing Control
For camera or communications applications, operators must keep each balloon
properly positioned for months at a time, and each balloon’s solar panels must
remain pointed at the Sun. Director of Engineering Taber MacCallum describes
balloons as “complex and full of little subtleties.” The control motion that keeps
the solar panels pointed at the Sun causes the balloon to respond. “When you try
to stop rotating [the solar panels] the balloon starts to rotate. There is a constant
dance going on with the momentum of the balloon.”
World View collaborated with Ball Aerospace of Colorado, one of the leading
manufacturers of satellite cameras and satellites with substantial experience of
this problem. They knew how to smooth out vibrations for their sensors to take
images while flying on drones or satellites, and combating the extreme thermal
environment of space for satellite cameras. However, designing adaptations for
sensors on a balloon in the stratosphere where there is neither the vacuum nor a
significant atmosphere presented a unique problem and challenge.
In February and August 2017 World View sent a Stratollite to 23 km (75,000 ft)
with Ball visible-light and near-infrared cameras. And a Stratollite tested solarpanel- pointing software in the stratosphere and also drew publicity by carrying a
sandwich from the KFC fast food chain. NASA had taken notice too. In July the
agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate collected 27 hours of data on a
Stratollite flight. NASA is interested in the possibility of controlling exploratory
balloons on Mars with World View’s altitude control technique. Ball is eager for
potential new markets for its sensors.
5.2.4 Ballast and Altitude Control
As the World View engineers tried to scale up the concept of inflating a balloon
with helium and ballast air, the balloon’s altitude was too hard to control through
the day/night temperature changes, so the team came up with a different steering
strategy. Helium continues to provide the lift but each Stratollite now controls its
altitude by compressing air from the atmosphere and packing it into ballast tanks,
making those tanks heavier and pulling the balloon down. Alternatively the tanks
5.2 World View Enterprises 95
arrays facing the Sun for maximum power. Future flights will characterize the
pointing resolution and the jitter environment of the vehicle.
The Stratollite is a sensor agnostic vehicle capable of missions lasting up to 6
months that provides long dwell capability depending on regional and seasonal
stratospheric wind conditions and offers a multitude of applications to meet the
broad needs of the science community. It can operate globally with support for
launch and flight operations from World View’s headquarters in Arizona.
5.2.3 Pointing Control
For camera or communications applications, operators must keep each balloon
properly positioned for months at a time, and each balloon’s solar panels must
remain pointed at the Sun. Director of Engineering Taber MacCallum describes
balloons as “complex and full of little subtleties.” The control motion that keeps
the solar panels pointed at the Sun causes the balloon to respond. “When you try
to stop rotating [the solar panels] the balloon starts to rotate. There is a constant
dance going on with the momentum of the balloon.”
World View collaborated with Ball Aerospace of Colorado, one of the leading
manufacturers of satellite cameras and satellites with substantial experience of
this problem. They knew how to smooth out vibrations for their sensors to take
images while flying on drones or satellites, and combating the extreme thermal
environment of space for satellite cameras. However, designing adaptations for
sensors on a balloon in the stratosphere where there is neither the vacuum nor a
significant atmosphere presented a unique problem and challenge.
In February and August 2017 World View sent a Stratollite to 23 km (75,000 ft)
with Ball visible-light and near-infrared cameras. And a Stratollite tested solarpanel- pointing software in the stratosphere and also drew publicity by carrying a
sandwich from the KFC fast food chain. NASA had taken notice too. In July the
agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate collected 27 hours of data on a
Stratollite flight. NASA is interested in the possibility of controlling exploratory
balloons on Mars with World View’s altitude control technique. Ball is eager for
potential new markets for its sensors.
5.2.4 Ballast and Altitude Control
As the World View engineers tried to scale up the concept of inflating a balloon
with helium and ballast air, the balloon’s altitude was too hard to control through
the day/night temperature changes, so the team came up with a different steering
strategy. Helium continues to provide the lift but each Stratollite now controls its
altitude by compressing air from the atmosphere and packing it into ballast tanks,
making those tanks heavier and pulling the balloon down. Alternatively the tanks
5.2 World View Enterprises 95