technologies and training the leaders of NASA future space missions. Many of
those accomplishments were described in Section 8.1.
NASA has developed an infrastructure that enables the scientific community to
perform new science experiments. This infrastructure includes both engineering
and testing capabilities and the construction of launch facilities. One excellent
example is the Balloon Research and Development Laboratory of the Wallops
Flight Facility.
Some of NASA/WFF/CSBF accomplishments include:
• The Balloon Program Office at WFF.
• The operation of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, TX,
and support for other launch sites.
• The development of several scientific balloon classes.
• The test and evaluation of the technologies that go into the various classes
of balloons.
• The development of the supporting payload structures and instrumentation
for the acquisition of scientific data.
• Acquisition of ground support equipment and launch vehicles at the sites.
• The test and evaluation of various types of balloon films in order to solve
early failures owing to extremely low temperatures and launch techniques
and procedures.
• Perfect the launch process and methodology of safely launching extremely
large balloons.
• Development of new films for large Super-Pressure Balloons.
• Construct and operate launch facilities, and support operations such as the
at McMurdo Station and other sites around the world.
• Develop, test, and certify an arc-second balloon payload azimuth control
system.
• Develop, test, and certify a payload support instrument.
• Design, test, and utilized a new static balloon payload launch capability for
hazardous heavy payloads.
• Develop methods to extend the duration of balloon flights and increase their
operational altitudes.
In addition, stratospheric balloon missions have made significant contributions to
scientific spacecraft; for example:
• The Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) instruments were all
developed from balloon-flight instruments.
• The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) balloon flights in the late
1980’s and 1990’s laid the groundwork for the design of the Wilkinson
Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
8.3 NASA/WFF/CSBF 193
those accomplishments were described in Section 8.1.
NASA has developed an infrastructure that enables the scientific community to
perform new science experiments. This infrastructure includes both engineering
and testing capabilities and the construction of launch facilities. One excellent
example is the Balloon Research and Development Laboratory of the Wallops
Flight Facility.
Some of NASA/WFF/CSBF accomplishments include:
• The Balloon Program Office at WFF.
• The operation of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, TX,
and support for other launch sites.
• The development of several scientific balloon classes.
• The test and evaluation of the technologies that go into the various classes
of balloons.
• The development of the supporting payload structures and instrumentation
for the acquisition of scientific data.
• Acquisition of ground support equipment and launch vehicles at the sites.
• The test and evaluation of various types of balloon films in order to solve
early failures owing to extremely low temperatures and launch techniques
and procedures.
• Perfect the launch process and methodology of safely launching extremely
large balloons.
• Development of new films for large Super-Pressure Balloons.
• Construct and operate launch facilities, and support operations such as the
at McMurdo Station and other sites around the world.
• Develop, test, and certify an arc-second balloon payload azimuth control
system.
• Develop, test, and certify a payload support instrument.
• Design, test, and utilized a new static balloon payload launch capability for
hazardous heavy payloads.
• Develop methods to extend the duration of balloon flights and increase their
operational altitudes.
In addition, stratospheric balloon missions have made significant contributions to
scientific spacecraft; for example:
• The Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) instruments were all
developed from balloon-flight instruments.
• The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) balloon flights in the late
1980’s and 1990’s laid the groundwork for the design of the Wilkinson
Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
8.3 NASA/WFF/CSBF 193