March 2000
Concept:
Senior Balloon Pilot Don Piccard will
pilot a combination helium-filled and hot
air aerostat into the troposphere to at least
140,000to150,000feetor above. If ev-
erythinggoesasplanned, thisflight will
breakthe existingaltitude recordforall
classesofballoons.Theaerostatwillbe
launchedfromornearthecampusofa
majoruniversity.ThePhysicsorAs-
tronomydepartmentofthatuniversity
willaidinthe developmentof scientific
experimentsandprocedurestobecon-
ducted and utilized during the flight. The
University will also track and monitor the
flight’s progressandwill be“Command
Central” during the flights.
Purpose:
The primary purposeof this project is
to reduce to practice anewconcept in high
altitude research balloons. Today’s single
cellpolyethylenestratosphereballoons
do not have a high enough success ratio to
validate their low cost. This new system
will bemoreexpensive, but when the total
costandimportanceofmanyresearch
flights is considered, it is a small price to
pay. Many investigation situations do not
provideasecondchance.Therefore,a
new capability must be demonstrated and
thesupportfacilityforproductioncre-
ated.
The individual cells of Project Pleia-
deswillbefabricatedofpolyesterfilm
(“Mylar”) which has a strengthto weight
ratio sometwenty times greater than poly-
ethylene,thestandardmaterialusedto-
day.Itisrecognizedthatduetotheir
strengthandlackof elasticity,polyester
films have very low tear strength. In order
tears are started, the tear strengthis irrel-
evant.
aKidtoSpace:
As the future of mankind’s advance-
mentintospaceisvital,theinspiration
and interest of even our youngest students
is to be encouraged. Project Pleiades will,
at least using imagination, “Take a kid to
space-Wherefeathersfalllikerocks.”
The person that will walk on Mars is a kid
today. If that kid is not motivated, that kid,
at least, willnot walkon Mars.
Duringaltitude-recordflights,real
timedirectlinkstoclassroomsonthe
ground are anticipated. It is important that
an appropriate communications specialist
bepart of the crew. All levels ofinvestiga-
tions can be coordinated in real time with
selected students and educational institu-
tions.
Coordinationwiththe Space Camp,
theSpaceCenteratAlamogordo,New
Mexico and with the BFAJunior Balloon-
ists Program is anticipated.
Aerostat:
A“Space Aerostat” will soon be con-
structedconsistingofsevenindividual
helium-filledballoons(Thusthename
Pleiades).Eachballoonwillfillouttoa
volume of more than 30 million cubic feet
atanaltitudeof 150,000feet.Attached
belowthesehelium-filledballoonswill
bea100,000cubicfootsporthotair
balloon(baseballoon)usedforre-entry
andcontrolledlanding.Belowthisbal-
loon is an “open air” scientific platform to
house the aeronauts andexperiments.
Each helium-filled balloon has a two
systemthatconnectsthroughthe
base balloon tothe control car.
Cord“T”.Thecordsthatgotothe
tops of the gas balloons drop through the
centerof the balloon. The bottom ends are
anchored to the car by eye splices on snap
hooks.Thatendcaneventuallybe com-
pletelyreleased. It hasanadditionaltag
line spliced to it above the top of the base
balloon. The tagline connects looselyto
thecarby passingdownandoutside the
baseballoon.Whenthesplicedeyeis
releasedfrom the snaphook, the control
of the cordistransferred tothe tag line.
Cord “B”. Thecordthatgoesto the
bottomofitsballoon.Itgoesfromthe
scientific platform through the base bal-
loonto a ring arrangementat the bottom
of a gas balloon and returns to the basket.
One end has a loop that is held in a shackle
orCarabiner.Theotherendhasextra
length on a reel with a brake. The line can
then bepaid outfrom the scientific plat-
form.Thatendcanbecompletelyre-
leasedeventually.
To vent gas, eachballoon in succes-
sionisventedequally soas to keepthem
all at the same extension. In order to vent
gas,thereelendofcord“B”isletout
incrementally. The cordonthereel may
becoloredbysection.Allcordswould
have the same color sequence andlength
of sections. Or the reel maybe calibrated
toshow how much cord is aboard.
If cord “B” is completely released its
balloon will turn inside out until enough
gas is released to make it heavy and it will
start tofloatdown.
Thesideofcord“B”thatiscon-
nectedtotheshacklehasatogglejust
above thetop ofthe base balloon, which is
ProjectPleiades
Journeyto150,000Feet