The modern weather balloon, of which there are several types, are usually made
of a highly flexible latex material but chloroprene can also be used. The weather
balloons used by the National Weather Service (NWS) for the past 80 years are
made of latex or synthetic rubber (neoprene) about 51 μm (0.002 in) thick, filled
with hydrogen or helium. Note that this thickness is about 5 times thicker than a
typical zero-pressure balloon, and more than 10 times thicker than the thinnest
balloon. These balloons are released twice a day at 92 upper-air sites across the
U.S. Also twice a day, every day of the year, a 6-foot-or-so-diameter balloon is
released from 900 locations worldwide. They can pass through the troposphere
into the stratosphere. See Section 9.1.5 for NOAA/NWS.
Kaymont Consolidated Industries (KCI) of Melbourne, FL is the world’s largest distributor of weather balloons made by Totex of Kanto, Japan, and has supplied the scientific community for over 30 years. Kaymont balloons have been
used by the U.S. space program for more than 15 years, and are launched by the
National Weather Service on a daily basis.
Kaymont high altitude balloons are used for civilian near-space photography,
aeronautic studies, and atmospheric testing. The largest weather balloon is a
sounding balloon for weather forecasting. Typically, sounding balloons carry a
small electronic package (radiosonde) which transmits the data necessary for
weather prediction, pressure, temperature and humidity. Some radiosondes also
contain a GPS. Positional data is transmitted to a ground station to enable wind
speed and wind direction to be calculated.
When their mission is over, sounding balloons burst. Depending on observation
requirements the “burst diameter” varies from 2 m (7 ft) at an altitude of 21 km
(70,000 ft) to a diameter of 13 m (43 ft) at an altitude of 38 km (125,000 ft). The
burst altitude will depend on payload mass, weather conditions at the tropopause,
and other environmental factors.
Larger balloons formulated for cold-weather launch and ultra-cold conditions
at altitude are used to carry ozonesondes to 30 km (98,000 ft) or in some cases
even higher.
3.1.6 Ultra-Thin Films
The balloon designer needs a film that can stand the loads and stresses of flight
and can satisfy the mission objectives. The balloon must be resistant to ultraviolet light and extreme cold. It must also be able to stand the rigors of manufacturing, packaging, shipping and launch as well to survive transit through the
tropopause to the desired height in the stratosphere; possibly even to the mesosphere. Given the desire by scientists to reach even greater heights, the designer
must strive to keep the weight down in order to carry a reasonable payload.
Consequently, the films used for balloon envelopes have gone through extensive
development over decades by both U.S. and international manufacturers.
The average person can relate to thin films by comparison to something they are
familiar with, such as kitchen food wraps and garbage bags. It’s another thing to
34 Balloon Elements
of a highly flexible latex material but chloroprene can also be used. The weather
balloons used by the National Weather Service (NWS) for the past 80 years are
made of latex or synthetic rubber (neoprene) about 51 μm (0.002 in) thick, filled
with hydrogen or helium. Note that this thickness is about 5 times thicker than a
typical zero-pressure balloon, and more than 10 times thicker than the thinnest
balloon. These balloons are released twice a day at 92 upper-air sites across the
U.S. Also twice a day, every day of the year, a 6-foot-or-so-diameter balloon is
released from 900 locations worldwide. They can pass through the troposphere
into the stratosphere. See Section 9.1.5 for NOAA/NWS.
Kaymont Consolidated Industries (KCI) of Melbourne, FL is the world’s largest distributor of weather balloons made by Totex of Kanto, Japan, and has supplied the scientific community for over 30 years. Kaymont balloons have been
used by the U.S. space program for more than 15 years, and are launched by the
National Weather Service on a daily basis.
Kaymont high altitude balloons are used for civilian near-space photography,
aeronautic studies, and atmospheric testing. The largest weather balloon is a
sounding balloon for weather forecasting. Typically, sounding balloons carry a
small electronic package (radiosonde) which transmits the data necessary for
weather prediction, pressure, temperature and humidity. Some radiosondes also
contain a GPS. Positional data is transmitted to a ground station to enable wind
speed and wind direction to be calculated.
When their mission is over, sounding balloons burst. Depending on observation
requirements the “burst diameter” varies from 2 m (7 ft) at an altitude of 21 km
(70,000 ft) to a diameter of 13 m (43 ft) at an altitude of 38 km (125,000 ft). The
burst altitude will depend on payload mass, weather conditions at the tropopause,
and other environmental factors.
Larger balloons formulated for cold-weather launch and ultra-cold conditions
at altitude are used to carry ozonesondes to 30 km (98,000 ft) or in some cases
even higher.
3.1.6 Ultra-Thin Films
The balloon designer needs a film that can stand the loads and stresses of flight
and can satisfy the mission objectives. The balloon must be resistant to ultraviolet light and extreme cold. It must also be able to stand the rigors of manufacturing, packaging, shipping and launch as well to survive transit through the
tropopause to the desired height in the stratosphere; possibly even to the mesosphere. Given the desire by scientists to reach even greater heights, the designer
must strive to keep the weight down in order to carry a reasonable payload.
Consequently, the films used for balloon envelopes have gone through extensive
development over decades by both U.S. and international manufacturers.
The average person can relate to thin films by comparison to something they are
familiar with, such as kitchen food wraps and garbage bags. It’s another thing to
34 Balloon Elements