For a 1:29 minute video of the EUSO-SPB launch, go to:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/wallops/2017/nasas-super-pressure-balloon-takesflight-from-new-zealand
At launch the balloon sounds like far away thunder. Toward the end of the video
the “pumpkin” shape of the balloon is apparent.
2.3.5 The Future
As will be shown in Chapter 5, commercial applications of the SPB are coming
along nicely, but the future for scientific applications, especially in the fields of
cosmology and fundamental physics, although predictable, is yet to be realized.
Considerable progress has been made on the development of the SPB platform,
but more focused investment in its development will be required to advance the
state of SPB operations to that of the Antarctic LDB platform to enable not only
the realization of the scientific potential of this imaging capability but also other
applications to planetary and astrophysical particle sciences.
A 2019 white paper by a large team of scientists led by Dr. William C. Jones of
Princeton University proposed increased support and prioritization of:
• A regular cadence of long duration SPB flights from a mid-latitude site
(Wanaka, NZ).
• Infrastructure to support SPB payloads (integration facilities, launch vehicles) of size and complexity comparable to the LDB program.
• Training and support of the launch crews necessary to support multiple
annual campaigns.
• Development of technologies/procedures for supporting increased science
mass on the SPB platform.
• Development of improved telemetry rates and commanding.
• Development of payloads, including facility class observatories, in order to
realize the scientific potential of the SPB platform.
The team proposed a stratospheric balloon-borne observatory whose wide-field
imaging capability will far exceed that of Hubble, expanding on that heritage of
discovery at a fraction of the operational cost. This was based on the 2015-2018
successes of the Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) data that gave a
clear path forward for a diffraction-limited 2 m class observatory. They identified
the principal challenges in scaling up from SuperBIT’s 0.5 m aperture and gave a
cost estimate which the team hoped would be funded by the NASA Astrophysics
Research and Analysis (APRA) Program for a flight in the 2025-2026 time frame.
The Balloon Program Analysis Group simply recommended that NASA continue to advance the lift capability and float altitude of SPBs until commensurate
with current ZPB capabilities.
2.3 Super-Pressure Balloons (SPB) 21
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/wallops/2017/nasas-super-pressure-balloon-takesflight-from-new-zealand
At launch the balloon sounds like far away thunder. Toward the end of the video
the “pumpkin” shape of the balloon is apparent.
2.3.5 The Future
As will be shown in Chapter 5, commercial applications of the SPB are coming
along nicely, but the future for scientific applications, especially in the fields of
cosmology and fundamental physics, although predictable, is yet to be realized.
Considerable progress has been made on the development of the SPB platform,
but more focused investment in its development will be required to advance the
state of SPB operations to that of the Antarctic LDB platform to enable not only
the realization of the scientific potential of this imaging capability but also other
applications to planetary and astrophysical particle sciences.
A 2019 white paper by a large team of scientists led by Dr. William C. Jones of
Princeton University proposed increased support and prioritization of:
• A regular cadence of long duration SPB flights from a mid-latitude site
(Wanaka, NZ).
• Infrastructure to support SPB payloads (integration facilities, launch vehicles) of size and complexity comparable to the LDB program.
• Training and support of the launch crews necessary to support multiple
annual campaigns.
• Development of technologies/procedures for supporting increased science
mass on the SPB platform.
• Development of improved telemetry rates and commanding.
• Development of payloads, including facility class observatories, in order to
realize the scientific potential of the SPB platform.
The team proposed a stratospheric balloon-borne observatory whose wide-field
imaging capability will far exceed that of Hubble, expanding on that heritage of
discovery at a fraction of the operational cost. This was based on the 2015-2018
successes of the Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) data that gave a
clear path forward for a diffraction-limited 2 m class observatory. They identified
the principal challenges in scaling up from SuperBIT’s 0.5 m aperture and gave a
cost estimate which the team hoped would be funded by the NASA Astrophysics
Research and Analysis (APRA) Program for a flight in the 2025-2026 time frame.
The Balloon Program Analysis Group simply recommended that NASA continue to advance the lift capability and float altitude of SPBs until commensurate
with current ZPB capabilities.
2.3 Super-Pressure Balloons (SPB) 21