In 1986 Dick Rutan and Jeanie Yeager became the first to pilot an
aircraft, Voyager, around the world non-stop, non-refueled.
Rutan now wants to add to his firsts my making the first around-the-
world flight by balloon. Balloon Life first interviewed Rutan
last year ( Balloon Life, February 1995). With the winter 95-96
weather window now closed for the teams headed by Branson, Brink, and
Fossett, Rutan believes that he will be ready to attempt his flight by next
November.
The information below is an extract of Rutan’s plan that he recently
shared with Balloon Life. Editor
Introduction
AEOLUS I has been designed to capture a significant aviation milestone; the first ever, non-stop balloon flight around the world. This unique record flight will be directed by virtually the same team that made the Voyager’s unrefueled world flight a success in 1986. Voyager’s record flight took 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds, and the aircraft is now on permanent display in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air And Space Museum in our nation’s capitol.
AEOLUS I (pronounced EEL-us is the mythical Greek God of wind) is designed with a relatively small, two member crew capsule. It will feature overall system simplicity, a photo voltaic electrical system, and will have virtually no moving parts other than a series of three fans for environmental control. A "jet stream" flight level of 32,000 to 38,000 feet is planned. The balloon will have the ability to descend into favorable jet stream flow and climb out when that flow becomes unfavorable. AEOLUS I will use a fully pressurized Kevlar carbon fiber capsule and a "closed loop cycle" life support system similar to the early Mercury- Gemini space flight capsules. The pressurization/life support details are proprietary at this time, but are based on simplicity and reliability.
The Challenge The AEOLUS I Project goal is to have a flight ready system by November of 1996. The most favorable launch weather window is from November through March, when the high speed, Northern hemisphere eastward flowing jet stream drops farther south, thus making a winter flight most practical.
The goal is to be the first to fully circumnavigate the globe without landing or refueling. In using a highly efficient, free-flight, hybrid balloon and a small, two crew pressurized capsule that goal is now within reach. One possible launch site is Tillamook, Oregon located 124x west longitude. To achieve the goal of world circumnavigation, the balloon must launch, fly east around the world and land somewhere past that same meridian.
The Team
The AEOLUS 1 team brings together the wealth of knowledge and experience gained throughout the Voyager’s world flight project ranging from the human factors of long duration flight, to systems reliability, world weather, and world net communications.
The project director will be Dick Rutan, the same pilot who directed and flew Voyager’s world flight. With over 10,000 flying hours as a veteran USAF combat fighter pilot, civilian test and instructor pilot, he holds over 20 world, speed and distance records and has spent virtually a lifetime flying. Dick Rutan is a fully qualified, FAA certified commercial L-T-A Free Balloon pilot. Owner of and frequent flyer of his own Raven RX- 7 hot air balloon.
The expertise in design of the crew capsule, it’s construction and systems will be in the hands of Burt Rutan. He also designed and built the Voyager aircraft. He is highly regarded in the aviation design field and his work is respected internationally.
Weather expert is Len Snellman, who was the chief meteorologist for Voyager’s success. He predicts it will take 12-14 days for the balloon to "drift" around the world at the planned flight level. Since any balloon can only climb or descend in search of favorable winds, plans call for a flight vehicle capable of a minimum 20 day flight duration in order to maximize the chance of success on the first attempt.
Most of the key personnel from the original Voyager world flight project are available, including specialists in weather, communications, medical, ground support, performance, etc. Noteworthy; Aeolus I is the only team vying for the balloon record that has successful world flight experience (Voyager, 1986).
The Systems
The initial round of ‘live’ tests on the "closed loop cycle" life support system using a home built altitude chamber dubbed AEOLUS 1/2 have been completed. This has allowed thorough ‘on-ground’ testing of the life support equipment (control-monitoring-warning) and has verified the specific crew oxygen and LIOH usage rates at the actual 8.1 psi 16,000 foot operational capsule altitude. The team has monitored and collected data on crew SpO2, Capsule O2, CO2, humidity, temperature and specific electrical consumption to verify the 20 day duration capability of the actual air vehicle. In addition, during the ‘on-ground’ tests, flight surgeons can closely supervise the crew’s adaptability and potential medical needs.
Systems testing in this in-house, ground level altitude chamber will dramatically reduce chances of equipment failure and will contribute immensely to crew safety and systems reliability. Systems thoroughly tested is the key to success. Rutan’s team spent over two years, 367 flight test hours in the Voyager before they were even remotely ready to try the world flight. Rutan says that he plans on at least 4-6- multi day high altitude flights to qualify his systems.
The atmosphere within the actual flight capsule will have a slightly elevated oxygen percentage, thus providing the crew a partial pressure of oxygen equivalent to sea level. Scientific evaluations of upper atmosphere and earth resources will also be conducted during the flight. The balloon lifting envelope is a "Roziere" balloon system, the most efficient method of dealing with the day/night thermal cycle. The balloon will be built by Cameron Balloons UK.
The light weight composite capsule will be designed and built by Scaled Composites, Inc. (Burt Rutan’s company), and the systems installation and testing will be carried out by the AEOLUS I team working closely with Burt and his engineers. The highly insulated composite capsule is an excellent survival ‘cocoon’ whether landing at sea, in the desert or even in Arctic conditions. It will be equipped with a SARSAT satellite recovery beacon for immediate location anywhere on earth. Since the end of the cold war, Rutan feels that there is no longer the problem of forbidden over flight of some foreign countries.
The new satellite navigation/communications systems eliminate the problems one might have had just a few short years ago.
The remaining hardware, life support capsule, weather monitoring equipment, launch support team, communication command post, etc. will be organized, built, and tested in Mojave, California. It is planned that, near the end of October 1996, the entire flight system and launch personnel will be transported to the launch site where the balloon can be safely inflated and stored until suitable launch conditions. The focus is on light, simple, safe and reliable systems. The goal is simply to "fly" the balloon non-stop around the world, land safely-and be the first team to do it.
Milestones
There are very few aviation milestones remaining that might be deemed worthy of addition to those already in the National Air and Space Museum collection. One remaining that will surely be considered for inclusion is the first manned, non-stop world flight in a balloon. Many have tried, but none have come close to capturing this milestone.
The AEOLUS I Project exists only to try to capture this (arguably) last remaining aviation milestone. It is important to define the difference between a milestone and a world record. All aviation "records" set are due to be broken as we improve technology. Any and all current records will eventually fade into obscurity. However, milestones are unique. Whoever accomplishes the milestone first gets to keep it forever; their name will always be attached. Of course you will also set a record while completing the milestone, and the record will probably someday be broken, but the ‘milestone’ will always be yours. Examples of this are: Lindbergh’s New York to Paris trip in 1927, Chuck Yeager’s breaking of the sound barrier in 1947, the first moon landing of Apollo 11 in 1969, and yes, even the first non-stop, unrefueled world flight of the Voyager aircraft. Each of the machines attached to those events are now proudly on display in The Milestones of Flight gallery at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.
P.S. The other seat is open to anyone who is looking for a little adventure and is willing to seed the initial funding. Contact Dick Rutan at (805) 824-4608, (805) 824-9575 FAX, email: ringdove21@aol.com
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