Jacob Meyer

In order to provide optimal conditions in which the UMN MURI Project’s optical particle counters can take measurements from altitudes ranging from 80,000 to 120,000 feet (that is, in slow, undisturbed air, not in the wake of a latex high-altitude balloon), a mechanism which can achieve slow descent, whether with the MURI Project’s current Hwoyee 1600g balloons or with a different type of balloon, is needed. This specific presentation focuses on our efforts characterizing the vented performance of Hwoyee 1600g high-altitude balloons, as 3000g Kaymont Balloons have been already characterized and vented as high as 115,000 feet by the University of Colorado Boulder. Such a system would also raise the altitude ceilings of the MURI Project’s balloons and allow them to consistently reach 120,000 feet in the first place, by reducing premature bursts. In order to ensure that such a mechanism can return to the ground (in a timely manner, or even at all), a termination mechanism to either release the system from or pop the high-altitude balloon is also needed. This poster presentation will discuss the development of such a system, how to build them, and our findings on the performance limits of vented Hwoyee 1600g balloons.