The earth views in the video are spectacular for sure. If you look carefully, you can see the coastline in the video.
I always assumed that it got colder and colder going up. It is quite interesting that it gets that cold and then warms back up again. Is that what always happens? or was that an anomaly ?
There is an effect that begins at about 40,000 feet called the Tropopause. This is a point in the troposphere where various cooling and heating effects cancel and the temperature stabilizes at its coldest point. As you go high, the heating effects begin to win out and the temperature goes back up. If we could fly beyond the troposphere, we also see some addition up and down heating and cooling effects.
It would be interesting to see what balloons could contribute to the study of Sporadic E (Es). There is not much Sporadic E scientific study, yet some aspects of it are still not well understood. The most recent studies have relied on LEO satellites that received 1 GHz GPS signals and recorded variations (phase changes from reflection or distortion) caused by E layer ionization. But, Es has much stronger effects in the high HF and low VHF range (20 MHz to 100 MHz). Balloons could receive HF or VHF terrestrial (or satellite) signal sources. Sources such as Ham radio test signals, or FM radio stations, or TV stations... High altitude wind shear patterns could be combined in a the data model. These could be correlated with reception data by geographically referenced ground stations. Perhaps a combined Amateur Satellite and Amateur Balloon project could contribute to the science of Sporadic E. Sporadic E has traditionally peaked in North America in July/August. Right now, in mid-June, Sporadic E has been happening almost every day for the past month. The Sporadic E seems to be happening earlier in the year recently, perhaps due to climate changes or other factors. Es cycles do not tend to correlate very well with the Solar Cycles. Current studies have pointed to a fascinating source of Sporadic E: It seems to form due partially to high altitude (thermosphere) meteorite ablations. The tiny meteorite particles are always all around the earth's upper atmosphere (thermosphere), but they tend to collect in "reflective clouds" made of iron ions (and other elements) under certain conditions and temperature differentials. The clouds are in between layers of wind shear up around 70 miles high (112km) in the E layer.
That is really neat... Ballooning is fun no matter how you do it. My Son was in Kindergarten and came home from the mall with a helium balloon. I say, Hey lets put a post card in a plastic bag and launch it. He was sad watching his balloon fly away... But its gone!?! A week later we received the card back with a letter and a couple photos. It had flown from our SD acreage to Cedar Rapids, IA and landed on the back porch of a kindergarten teacher's house...!!!! It landed intact didn't blow up... 315 air miles.... anyway. I worked at Aerostar International mid 90's to early 00's... I got to meet people like "Maxie Anderson". The engineering department had designed most of his balloons. The last time I got to play was at the Sioux Falls Race in August of 2016. I ran the chase crew, drove the pickup and hopefully kept his two girls 9 &12 from falling out of the pickup bed... I'm on the left in the closest balloon, Blonde Hair - Blue leather jacket holding the Mouth open for the fill. Things get toasty after Lightoff until the throat gets pulled out of your hand... try to not become Cremated... You step back as the envelope erects vertical, and run up and toss yourself on the rim of the basket to help hold it down. That was his eldest daughter in the green shorts. 12 yo I think she was... I miss that stuff but these things get heavier every year... He sold the balloon to go round and round in a dirt track car... I think I'd really enjoy doing the high altitude stuff... Erika DD
This is a very interesting Thread. Thanks to all those making contributions! Our family took a balloon ride in South Dakota many years ago - a wonderful, memorable, experience. Max elevation only a couple thousand feet - nothing close to those Nashua guys!
I did one with the wife (version 1.0) about 20 years ago. What was really notable was how well the sound traveled straight up from the ground. We were probably 1500 feet or so above the ground, floating over a residential area, and you could hear conversations coming from houses clearly. Except when the burner fired up!
Here is a tracking site to find out what is up there and where it is worldwide. http://habhub.org/ Brian NF0G
Actually, I was there when this balloon was launched. As Fred also related, We were concerned with aircraft safety, we were compliant with FAA Rules and we called them five minutes before launch and gained their final approval. Per regulations, the entire system, including the balloon weighs less than 3lbs. From a radio perspective, it's not easy how to keep within those weight rules, have radios, cameras and batteries that operate with temperature variations of +- 50C. When the electronics landed, we had tracked it and also had simulations of where it was going and so, within 40 minutes of landing, a member of the team was knocking on a particular door in western Worcester and asking to climb their tree to recover the rig.
When I was about ten, playin' in the yard, I watched a radiosonde land in my backyard! I think that's when the electronic interest was ignited.
In my 35 years as an airline pilot, I only saw one balloon, and it was a NASA experiment floating at 120,000'. This in spite of the fact that hundreds of pibal balloons are sent up each day. I have never heard a story about a balloon even coming in close proximity to an aircraft. So, balloon experimenters are definitely not interfering with air traffic "in the worst way". Ed KE6BN
Happens all the time. I get almost daily reports of balloons (usually party balloons) in very close proximity to aircraft. On major weather/experimental balloon launches, a group of pilots regularly report seeing the balloon. They usually don't get in real close proximity to aircraft, and if they do, they are fairly easy to avoid. But again, it's the big sky theory, both laterally and vertically. There's so much airspace out there and the balloon is tiny in comparison. It's all a game of odds.