xx
of the recent flights have been commercial rather than scientific. As of this writing
(in late 2020), there are about a hundred commercial balloons flying today all over
the world.
Balloon-borne instruments have studied the atmosphere in many wavelengths,
studied the Earth and the heavens, and have used or invented a wide variety of
instruments to obtain the desired data. Observations have ranged from bacteria
and viruses in the upper atmosphere to dust clouds in distant galaxies. This new
era of balloon flights makes use of the digital world, the “internet of things” and
interconnectivity. While the internet seems to rule the world, roughly half of the
world’s population is not connected to it and hence are excluded from the socioeconomic benefits of digital connectivity. Most of us can’t image a world without
the internet, yet billions of people long for the day they achieve access to it. Many
nations can’t afford the necessary infrastructure. But there is another way! There
have been thousands of commercial stratospheric balloon flights, most having to
do with providing internet connectivity to unserved or underserved populations.
What was once the realm of the scientists, now there are down-to-Earth balloon
applications related to the survival of people who have just suffered a disaster such
as a hurricane, tornado, or flood. It is now possible to provide broadband phone
service for natives in the remotest villages. It is now an era of providing seamless
communications and navigation to maritime shipping, surveillance of drug traffickers, illegal border crossings, and of course military applications. These new
applications have required the expansion of real-time operations, coordination
with both national and international users of airspace, and rapid recovery of payloads in remote areas. Balloon flights can often go from one country to another,
and even from one continent to another. There are some countries which do not
permit balloons in their air space, regardless of their purpose. This impacts mission planning, site selection, navigation, flight and recovery operations.
The invention and perfection of the “super-pressure” balloon, together with the
state of the art of meteorology, offers the seemingly uncanny ability to not only
control a stratospheric balloon but also to control – to some degree – its relative
position and time over a particular site. Although not as precise as for example a
geostationary satellite, it is possible to control a balloon to a sufficient degree to
acquire the desired target of interest at a considerably reduced cost.
There are now many applications for balloons that would have previously been
considered folly, and not that long ago either. While we expected that someday
tourists would want to go to space, we didn’t envision them going to 100,000 feet
in a novel gondola with WiFi, a bar, music and rest rooms. This is actually being
planned today. It brings new meaning to the expression “up, up and away”! For
only $X, you too can be a “Stratonaut” and be awarded a Certificate to prove it!
While that sounds bizarre, there is now another company that will improve your
company’s brand by lofting your product or logo into the stratosphere and taking
Preface
of the recent flights have been commercial rather than scientific. As of this writing
(in late 2020), there are about a hundred commercial balloons flying today all over
the world.
Balloon-borne instruments have studied the atmosphere in many wavelengths,
studied the Earth and the heavens, and have used or invented a wide variety of
instruments to obtain the desired data. Observations have ranged from bacteria
and viruses in the upper atmosphere to dust clouds in distant galaxies. This new
era of balloon flights makes use of the digital world, the “internet of things” and
interconnectivity. While the internet seems to rule the world, roughly half of the
world’s population is not connected to it and hence are excluded from the socioeconomic benefits of digital connectivity. Most of us can’t image a world without
the internet, yet billions of people long for the day they achieve access to it. Many
nations can’t afford the necessary infrastructure. But there is another way! There
have been thousands of commercial stratospheric balloon flights, most having to
do with providing internet connectivity to unserved or underserved populations.
What was once the realm of the scientists, now there are down-to-Earth balloon
applications related to the survival of people who have just suffered a disaster such
as a hurricane, tornado, or flood. It is now possible to provide broadband phone
service for natives in the remotest villages. It is now an era of providing seamless
communications and navigation to maritime shipping, surveillance of drug traffickers, illegal border crossings, and of course military applications. These new
applications have required the expansion of real-time operations, coordination
with both national and international users of airspace, and rapid recovery of payloads in remote areas. Balloon flights can often go from one country to another,
and even from one continent to another. There are some countries which do not
permit balloons in their air space, regardless of their purpose. This impacts mission planning, site selection, navigation, flight and recovery operations.
The invention and perfection of the “super-pressure” balloon, together with the
state of the art of meteorology, offers the seemingly uncanny ability to not only
control a stratospheric balloon but also to control – to some degree – its relative
position and time over a particular site. Although not as precise as for example a
geostationary satellite, it is possible to control a balloon to a sufficient degree to
acquire the desired target of interest at a considerably reduced cost.
There are now many applications for balloons that would have previously been
considered folly, and not that long ago either. While we expected that someday
tourists would want to go to space, we didn’t envision them going to 100,000 feet
in a novel gondola with WiFi, a bar, music and rest rooms. This is actually being
planned today. It brings new meaning to the expression “up, up and away”! For
only $X, you too can be a “Stratonaut” and be awarded a Certificate to prove it!
While that sounds bizarre, there is now another company that will improve your
company’s brand by lofting your product or logo into the stratosphere and taking
Preface