Open AccessAerobot measurements successfully obtained during Solo Spirit Balloon Mission
Author(s) -
Avidson Raymond E.,
Bowman Judd D.,
Guinness Edward A.,
Johnson Sarah S.,
Slavney S. H.,
Stein Thomas C.,
Bachelder Aaron D.,
Cameron Jonathan M.,
Cutts James A.,
Ivlev Robert V.,
Kahn Ralph A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/99eo00106
Subject(s) - venus , astrobiology , mars exploration program , titan (rocket family) , balloon , payload (computing) , globe , geology , astronomy , aeronautics , remote sensing , meteorology , physics , engineering , computer science , medicine , computer network , network packet , cardiology , ophthalmology
Robotic balloons, also known as aerobots, have become candidates for collecting atmospheric data and detailed surface observations of Venus, Mars, and Titan. A mission to Venus over a decade ago used two of them. Their inclusion last year in attempts by a balloonist to circumnavigate the Earth aptly demonstrated their utility for remote sensing and in situ observations of planetary atmospheres. To simulate aspects of an aerobot mission, a small payload to measure local atmospheric conditions and balloon position and velocity was included on Solo Spirit “Round the World” flights during January and August of last year. These missions, flown in Roziere balloons, were attempts by Steve Fossett to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon without stopping. Neither attempt was successful, but the aerobot came through with flying colors.