Status of the NASA continuing investigation of catastrophic balloon failures

Since the beginning of the 1980's, the USA National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Balloon Program has been besieged with a continuing problem of catastrophic balloon failures. In 1983 NASA conducted an investigation to identify possible causes for the failures and to determine the necessary corrective action(s) to prevent further occurrence of the problem. The investigation indicated the most probable cause of the failures was the balloon material. Subsequent corrective action(s) were taken to eliminate the problem by establishing a material acceptance criteria for balloon film. Although improvements have been noted in certain classes of balloons, the problem of catastrophic balloon failures continues. Efforts continue, to determine the cause(s) of the diminished performance of current balloons, including investigation of the microstructure of present and past balloon film, stress effects and simplified stress modeling including shape studies, and the equipment and procedures used in the manufacture of balloons. Most recently, a special team of experts has been assembled to aid in the investigation of the failure problems and the methods needed for a solution. The findings and status of the continuing investigation along with the future plans for the NASA program are presented.     

Recent materials problems relating to catastrophic balloon failures

Balloons fabricated of thin polyethylene materials have provided relatively inexpensive and reliable scientific research platforms for approximately three decades. Reliability of the modern day balloon, as launched by the U.S.A. National Scientific Balloon Facility (NSBF), has been approximately 85%. Recent balloon failures, coupled with an increased occurrence of catastrophic failures, created grave concern over the integrity of the present balloon inventory of the U.S.A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). An investigative team was established by NASA to review the circumstances surrounding the catastrophic balloon failures, determine the cause and to make recommendations to correct the problem and to prevent its reoccurrence. The most probable cause of failure as determined by the investigation was the polyethylene balloon film, although the film had passed the established standard quality control measures of the film manufacturer. The approach, findings, and conclusions of the investigation are presented along with planned procedures to assure future quality balloon film for NASA balloons.     

Development overview of the revised NASA Ultra Long Duration Balloon

The desire for longer duration stratospheric flights at constant float altitudes for heavy payloads has been the focus of the development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Ultra Long Duration Balloon (ULDB) effort. Recent efforts have focused on ground testing and analysis to understand the previously observed issue of balloon deployment. A revised approach to the pumpkin balloon design has been tested through ground testing of model balloons and through two test flights. The design approach does not require foreshortening, and will significantly reduce the balloon handling during manufacture reducing the chances of inducing damage to the envelope. Successful ground testing of model balloons lead to the fabrication and test flight of a ∼176,000 m³ (∼6.2 MCF – Million Cubic Foot) balloon. Pre-flight analytical predictions predicted that the proposed flight balloon design to be stable and should fully deploy. This paper provides an overview of this first test flight of the revised Ultra Long Duration Balloon design which was a short domestic test flight from Ft. Sumner, NM, USA. This balloon fully deployed, but developed a leak under pressurization. After an extensive investigation to the cause of the leak, a second test flight balloon was fabricated. This ∼176,000 m³ (∼6.2 MCF) balloon was flown from Kiruna, Sweden in June of 2006. Flight results for both test flights, including flight performance are presented.     

Recent balloon flight results concerning the galactic center 511 keV line

Results of three new balloon flights have recently become available concerning the galactic center electron-positron annihilation line at 511 keV. The groups involved were the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hamsphire; NASA Goddard Center for Nuclear Studies, USA; CEN Saclay, Gif Sur Yvette, France; and Bell Laboratories/Sandia Laboratories, USA. In these flights a “low” or “off” state was observed in the fall of 1981. Also, new evidence for a low energy “positronium” — like tail on the line has been obtained from a 1977 flight. These results are reviewed.     

Evolution of scientific ballooning and its impact on astrophysics research

As we celebrate the centennial year of the discovery of cosmic rays on a manned balloon, it seems appropriate to reflect on the evolution of ballooning and its scientific impact. Balloons have been used for scientific research since they were invented in France more than 200 years ago. Ballooning was revolutionized in 1950 with the introduction of the so-called natural shape balloon with integral load tapes. This basic design has been used with more or less continuously improved materials for scientific balloon flights for more than a half century, including long-duration balloon (LDB) flights around Antarctica for the past two decades. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently developing the next generation super-pressure balloon that would enable extended duration missions above 99.5% of the Earth’s atmosphere at any latitude. The Astro2010 Decadal Survey report supports super-pressure balloon development and the giant step forward it offers with ultra-long-duration balloon (ULDB) flights at constant altitudes for about 100 days.     

Technology development for a long duration,mid-cloud level Venus balloon

This paper describes the results of ongoing technology development activities for a Venus spherical superpressure balloon capable of flying for long durations (30 days) in the middle cloud layer at an altitude of 55.5 km. Data is presented from a successful aerial deployment and inflation flight experiment on a 5.5 m diameter prototype balloon conducted at a 2.5 km altitude above the Earth. Although the balloon in that test was not released for free flight, all other steps in the deployment and inflation process were successfully executed. Experimental and computational results are also presented from an investigation of the stress concentration phenomenon at the junction of the metal end fitting and fabric end cap of the prototype Venus balloon. Good agreement was found between the simulation and experimental results and a stress concentration factor of 1.55 determined for this end cap design compared to the expectations of thin membrane theory. Finally, results are presented for a new, second-generation Venus balloon material utilizing Aclar™ film instead of Teflon. Optical property and sulfuric acid tolerance data are presented for this material based on laboratory testing of samples.     

Analytical study on the inflated shape of a super pressure balloon covered with a diamond-shaped net

In the last two decades, extensive efforts have been made to develop a large super pressure balloon (SPB) capable of carrying heavy payloads for scientific observations of long durations. Due to recent achievements by the NASA Balloon Program Office, practical operations of large-scale lobed-pumpkin SPB will be realized in the near future. Meanwhile, the research team initiated the development of a lightweight SPB with an alternative design concept, in which the entire balloon is covered by a diamond-shaped net. In this work, the static structural response of the proposed SPB is analyzed by establishing a mathematical model to predict its inflated shape. This model is validated by comparing the generated results with those obtained from nonlinear finite element analysis. Excellent agreement between the analytical solutions and the corresponding finite element results was obtained. On the basis of the mathematical model, the inflated shape of the SPB is investigated and unique structural characteristics are deduced, i.e., the balloon inflates into a cylinder-like shape for a certain geometry of the cover net. This structural feature can be explained by considering the equilibrium of forces applied to the cover net.     

The limits of stratofilm®

An abnormally large number of catastrophic failures have occurred in recent years which have prompted a number of investigations. This paper documents the efforts by Winzen engineers to determine the cause of these dangerous failures. It is concluded that catastrophic failure will occur if internal caps separate from the wall of the balloon at too low an altitude. Cap separation may be prevented by the use of external caps.     

Stratospheric profiles of HCl and CH4 at 32°N obtained on PROJECT STRATOPROBE from 1978 to 1985

The most recent in the series of STRATOPROBE balloon flights were conducted in the Spring of 1985 from the National Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas. Altitude distributions of HCl and CH₄ were derived and compared with our results from flights in previous years. The HCl and CH₄ column integrated amounts show a trend towards higher concentrations, not inconsistent with other measurements and model calculations. The CH₄ was determined from emission spectra using a scanning radiometer as well as from absorption lines in the HCl spectral region recorded with the interferometer. There is good agreement between the two techniques and with a model simulation.     

Cleft formation in pumpkin balloons

NASA’s development of a large payload, high altitude, long duration balloon, the Ultra Long Duration Balloon, centers on a pumpkin shape super-pressure design. Under certain circumstances, it has been observed that a pumpkin balloon may be unable to pressurize into the desired cyclically symmetric equilibrium configuration, settling into a distorted, undesired state instead. Success of the pumpkin balloon for NASA requires a thorough understanding of the phenomenon of multiple stable equilibria and developing of means for the quantitative assessment of design measures that prevent the occurrence of undesired equilibrium. In this paper, we will use the concept of stability to classify cyclically symmetric equilibrium states at full inflation and pressurization. Our mathematical model for a strained equilibrium balloon, when applied to a shape that mimics the Phase IV-A balloon of Flight 517, predicts instability at float. Launched in Spring 2003, this pumpkin balloon failed to deploy properly. Observations on pumpkin shape type super-pressure balloons that date back to the 1980s suggest that within a narrowly defined design class of pumpkin shape super-pressure balloons where individual designs are fully described by the number of gores n_g and by a single measure of the bulging gore shape, the designs tend to become more vulnerable with the growing number of gores and with the diminishing size of the bulge radius r_B Weight efficiency considerations favor a small bulge radius, while robust deployment into the desired cyclically symmetrical configuration becomes more likely with an increased bulge radius. In an effort to quantify this dependency, we will explore the stability of a family of balloon shapes parametrized by (n_g, r_B) which includes a design that is very similar, but not identical, to the balloon of Flight 517. In addition, we carry out a number of simulations that demonstrate other aspects related to multiple equilibria of pumpkin balloons.     

适用于UH模型的单元破坏修正方法

在采用UH模型的用户材料子程序(UMAT)进行有限元计算过程中时常会出现局部单元破坏的情况,主要包括拉裂和剪坏,这种破坏应力状态的存在不仅会使得计算结果不合理,也会降低有限元计算的稳定性。针对采用UH模型UMAT进行有限元计算时遇到的局部单元破坏问题,根据一定的假设条件,并结合不同坐标系下的应力变换关系,推导得到适用于UH模型的三维问题单元破坏修正公式;采用FORTRAN语言编写出相应的子程序,将其嵌入UH模型UMAT中,以消除采用UH模型进行有限元计算时出现的不合理的破坏应力状态,提高UH模型UMAT有限元计算的稳定性,并通过有限元模拟基坑开挖的例子验证本文所提的单元破坏修正方法的有效性和合理性。     

双层乳胶气球的高空平漂机理及垂直轨迹模拟

双层乳胶气球克服了单层乳胶气球的缺点,可以在高空平漂以实现持续气象观测,但是其高空平漂受多因素影响比较复杂,特别是气球充气量主要依赖工程经验,施放成功率不高,亟需提供理论指导。通过试验数据证明了浮重平衡是双层乳胶气球实现高空平漂的必要条件,推导得出内、外球氢气充气量和昼夜温度变化对其运动的影响;建立了双层乳胶气球的几何模型和动力学模型,结合实地施放试验,对其升空和平漂过程轨迹进行模拟,由此探究了内、外球充气量对平漂高度的影响。研究结果表明:内球充气量是决定平漂高度的主要因素,并受昼夜温度变化影响,当内、外球规格分别为750g、500g,负载约1kg时,内球拉力每增大或减小0.04kg,最终平漂高度将对应升高或降低约5km,而外球充气量对其平漂高度无影响。      

Viscoelastic behaviour of pumpkin balloons

The lobes of the NASA ULDB pumpkin-shaped super-pressure balloons are made of a thin polymeric film that shows considerable time-dependent behaviour. A nonlinear viscoelastic model based on experimental measurements has been recently established for this film. This paper presents a simulation of the viscoelastic behaviour of ULDB balloons with the finite element software ABAQUS. First, the standard viscoelastic modelling capabilities available in ABAQUS are examined, but are found of limited accuracy even for the case of simple uniaxial creep tests on ULDB films. Then, a nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model is implemented by means of a user-defined subroutine. This approach is verified by means of biaxial creep experiments on pressurized cylinders and is found to be accurate provided that the film anisotropy is also included in the model. A preliminary set of predictions for a single lobe of a ULDB is presented at the end of the paper. It indicates that time-dependent effects in a balloon structure can lead to significant stress redistribution and large increases in the transverse strains in the lobes.     

不确定条件下航空不安全事件灵敏度分析的Monte-Carlo方法

为解决不确定条件下航空不安全事件灵敏度分析的难题,基于Bow-tie模型提出了多模式下航空安全性指标及其灵敏度测度,以轮胎爆破事件为例,采用Monte-Carlo方法计算得到安全性指标、基本事件的全局灵敏度及其分布参数的局部灵敏度。根据轮胎爆破事件仿真结果,两类灵敏度指标均随着飞行时间的增加而发生变化,尤其是在500~600 h时变化最为显著,但灵敏度重要性排序保持不变;基本事件类型是影响灵敏度的一个主要因素,电子类基本事件灵敏度测度远远小于机械类基本事件;同类型基本事件中,平均故障间隔时间不是主导因素,灵敏度大小还与失效传递的逻辑关系密切相关。算例结果表明:航空安全水平随着飞行时间逐步下降,应重点关注飞行时间为500~600 h时航空组件失效导致事故发生的可能性;航空组件的灵敏度重要性不会随着飞行时间变化,提高灵敏度较高的基本事件的可靠性水平是防范航空事故的关键。      

International cooperation in planetary exploration: Past success and future prospects

A review is given of the ways in which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has participated in international efforts to explore the solar system. Past examples of successful international cooperative programs are described. Prospects for future cooperative efforts are discussed with emphasis placed on current events, issues, and trends which are likely to affect possibilities for cooperation over the next 5 to 10 years. Key factors which will play a major role in shaping future prospects for cooperation include the move towards balancing the budget in the United States and the impact of the Challenger accident on the NASA program.     

Implementing planetary protection requirements for sample return missions.

NASA is committed to exploring space while avoiding the biological contamination of other solar system bodies and protecting the Earth against potential harm from materials returned from space. NASA's planetary protection program evaluates missions (with external advice from the US National Research Council and others) and imposes particular constraints on individual missions to achieve these objectives. In 1997 the National Research Council's Space Studies Board published the report, Mars Sample Return: Issues and Recommendations, which reported advice to NASA on Mars sample return missions, complementing their 1992 report, The Biological Contamination of Mars Issues and Recommendations. Meanwhile, NASA has requested a new Space Studies Board study to address sample returns from bodies other than Mars. This study recognizes the variety of worlds that have been opened up to NASA and its partners by small, relatively inexpensive, missions of the Discovery class, as well as the reshaping of our ideas about life in the solar system that have been occasioned by the Galileo spacecraft's discovery that an ocean under the ice on Jupiter's moon Europa might, indeed, exist. This paper will report on NASA's planned implementation of planetary protection provisions based on these recent National Research Council recommendations, and will suggest measures for incorporation in the planetary protection policy of COSPAR.     

交会对接寻的段机动故障对策分析与仿真

根据寻的段的机动故障类型及其约束条件,首先给出了该段的故障控制策略规划模型,然后给出了相应的故障对策,最后基于高精度轨道模型仿真分析了各种故障工况。仿真结果表明,所提出的对策能较好的应对寻的段各类机动故障。     

Scientific ballooning in Japan

Activities in scientific ballooning in Japan during 1998–1999 are reported. The total number of scientific balloons flown in Japan in 1998 and 1999 was sixteen, eight flights in each year. The scientific objectives were observations of high energy cosmic electrons, air samplings at various altitudes, monitoring of atmospheric ozone density, Galactic infrared observations, and test flights of new type balloons. Balloon expeditions were conducted in Antarctica by the National Institute of Polar Research, in Russia, in Canada and in India in collaboration with foreign countries' institutes to investigate cosmic rays, Galactic infrared radiation, and Earth's atmosphere. There were three flights in Antarctica, four flights in Russia, three flights in Canada and two flights in India. Four test balloons were flown for balloon technology, which included pumpkin-type super-pressure balloon and a balloon made with ultra-thin polyethylene film of 3.4 μm thickness.