145
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. von Ehrenfried, Stratospheric Balloons, Springer Praxis Books,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68130-2_7
7
Scientific Flight Types
The following are representative types of scientific missions. There are scores of
other missions that also fall into these categories but space doesn’t allow them all
to be covered. Chapter 8 discusses some which achieved outstanding discoveries.
7.1 ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES
7.1.1 Earth Radiation Budget
The recent National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey for Earth Science
called for fifteen high priority new missions by 2025. However, current NASA
budget profiles project a capability of only 8 or 9 new missions. Super-Pressure
ULD balloons flying for approximately 100 days could make some of the critical
measurements that cannot be accommodated from space. In addition, they could
provide data for which there are no planned satellites.
One high priority Decadal Survey mission is the Climate Absolute Radiance
and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO), which would provide spectrally
resolved radiation measurements. Measurements of Earth’s radiation budget (the
balance between incoming and outgoing radiation) are essential to understanding
climate change. NASA has made Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) measurements
using a series of satellites for several decades. Satellites are an ideal platform for
making such long-term measurements, but consistency between successive satellites (and instruments) is essential for a reliable long-term record. ULDB could
provide this invaluable complement to satellite-borne instruments. Instruments for
balloons can be precisely and accurately calibrated to National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable standards before and after flight, and
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. von Ehrenfried, Stratospheric Balloons, Springer Praxis Books,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68130-2_7
7
Scientific Flight Types
The following are representative types of scientific missions. There are scores of
other missions that also fall into these categories but space doesn’t allow them all
to be covered. Chapter 8 discusses some which achieved outstanding discoveries.
7.1 ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES
7.1.1 Earth Radiation Budget
The recent National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey for Earth Science
called for fifteen high priority new missions by 2025. However, current NASA
budget profiles project a capability of only 8 or 9 new missions. Super-Pressure
ULD balloons flying for approximately 100 days could make some of the critical
measurements that cannot be accommodated from space. In addition, they could
provide data for which there are no planned satellites.
One high priority Decadal Survey mission is the Climate Absolute Radiance
and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO), which would provide spectrally
resolved radiation measurements. Measurements of Earth’s radiation budget (the
balance between incoming and outgoing radiation) are essential to understanding
climate change. NASA has made Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) measurements
using a series of satellites for several decades. Satellites are an ideal platform for
making such long-term measurements, but consistency between successive satellites (and instruments) is essential for a reliable long-term record. ULDB could
provide this invaluable complement to satellite-borne instruments. Instruments for
balloons can be precisely and accurately calibrated to National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable standards before and after flight, and