be moved from NSBF due to its extremely wide wheelbase and inability to be easily disassembled. The uniqueness of the vehicle specifications resulted in NSBF
being tasked to design and fabricate the MLV after a commercial procurement
attempt was untenable. The design and construction was tasked to PSL-NMSU in
Las Cruces, NM. This one-of-a-kind, vehicle was delivered to Fort Sumner, NM
in 1991 and qualified to handle payloads up to 8,000 lb, which was 1,500 lb more
than Tiny Tim could handle.
A science requirement by Dr. Parnell for a minimum of five-day flights was the
initiation for NSBF to support Long Duration Balloon flights. The initial concept
was to adapt line of sight instrumentation and systems to support these flights with
minimal monitoring using the ARGOS satellite system. The NASA Long Duration
Ballooning project started at NSBF in early 1987 resulted in the launch of two LDB
zero-pressure balloons from Alice Springs, Australia in early 1988. The plan for
both of these flights was to circumnavigate half the globe with flight terminations
in Brazil after 7-10 days of flight. An NSBF team was stationed in Brazil with
assistance from the Brazilian ballooning organization at INPE to implement the
payload recovery. Both balloons ultimately made the flight to Brazil. Neither one
had any real-time over-the-horizon commanding capability. Each carried about
3,000 lb of ballast with an auto-ballast system controlling ballast drops. One of the
flights was almost perfect, staying above 100,000 feet altitude over 95% of the
flight. The other flight was almost a disaster! The auto-ballast system did not function during the first few days and no ballast was dropped. As the balloon approached
Africa it appeared that it would likely drop back into the tropopause and return to
the ground. For some unknown reason, more than likely due to a nearby electrical
storm, the payload dropped all of the ballast, shot up to 130,000 feet altitude and
crossed the lower part of Africa and South Atlantic Ocean continuing to Brazil. The
balloon flight was terminated by LOS command in Brazil by NSBF staff and the
payload came down on top of a house in a small town west of the coast. The 1,500
lb payload penetrated the roof of the house, but no one was injured. NSBF was able
to negotiate settlements for damage and retrieved the payload.
The Long Duration Balloon Era
These two flights were the impetus for NASA to initiate a project to develop systems specifically designed to support LDB flights. The two flights in January
1988 were basically modified line of sight control systems modified to meet the
LDB flight requirements with ARGOS for snapshots of balloon flight status via
satellite and LORAN for navigation/position. The science community was very
interested in carrying heavy (minimum of 3,000 lb) for long duration flights in
mid-latitudes. This priority was expressed through the NASA Balloon Working
Group meetings establishing a goal of 10 days carrying 3,000 lb payloads above
100,000 foot altitude.
Appendix 1: A Brief History of the NSBF/CSBF 263
being tasked to design and fabricate the MLV after a commercial procurement
attempt was untenable. The design and construction was tasked to PSL-NMSU in
Las Cruces, NM. This one-of-a-kind, vehicle was delivered to Fort Sumner, NM
in 1991 and qualified to handle payloads up to 8,000 lb, which was 1,500 lb more
than Tiny Tim could handle.
A science requirement by Dr. Parnell for a minimum of five-day flights was the
initiation for NSBF to support Long Duration Balloon flights. The initial concept
was to adapt line of sight instrumentation and systems to support these flights with
minimal monitoring using the ARGOS satellite system. The NASA Long Duration
Ballooning project started at NSBF in early 1987 resulted in the launch of two LDB
zero-pressure balloons from Alice Springs, Australia in early 1988. The plan for
both of these flights was to circumnavigate half the globe with flight terminations
in Brazil after 7-10 days of flight. An NSBF team was stationed in Brazil with
assistance from the Brazilian ballooning organization at INPE to implement the
payload recovery. Both balloons ultimately made the flight to Brazil. Neither one
had any real-time over-the-horizon commanding capability. Each carried about
3,000 lb of ballast with an auto-ballast system controlling ballast drops. One of the
flights was almost perfect, staying above 100,000 feet altitude over 95% of the
flight. The other flight was almost a disaster! The auto-ballast system did not function during the first few days and no ballast was dropped. As the balloon approached
Africa it appeared that it would likely drop back into the tropopause and return to
the ground. For some unknown reason, more than likely due to a nearby electrical
storm, the payload dropped all of the ballast, shot up to 130,000 feet altitude and
crossed the lower part of Africa and South Atlantic Ocean continuing to Brazil. The
balloon flight was terminated by LOS command in Brazil by NSBF staff and the
payload came down on top of a house in a small town west of the coast. The 1,500
lb payload penetrated the roof of the house, but no one was injured. NSBF was able
to negotiate settlements for damage and retrieved the payload.
The Long Duration Balloon Era
These two flights were the impetus for NASA to initiate a project to develop systems specifically designed to support LDB flights. The two flights in January
1988 were basically modified line of sight control systems modified to meet the
LDB flight requirements with ARGOS for snapshots of balloon flight status via
satellite and LORAN for navigation/position. The science community was very
interested in carrying heavy (minimum of 3,000 lb) for long duration flights in
mid-latitudes. This priority was expressed through the NASA Balloon Working
Group meetings establishing a goal of 10 days carrying 3,000 lb payloads above
100,000 foot altitude.
Appendix 1: A Brief History of the NSBF/CSBF 263