Goddard Glossary: Scientific Balloon

Narration: Katy Mersmann

Transcript:

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Scientific balloon.

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No, we're not decorating for a party,

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but scientific

balloons can be just as fun.

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These balloons are huge.

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Some are wider than a football field,

and they offer another often cheaper way

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besides rockets and planes

to carry scientific instruments.

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Scientific

balloons can fly higher than 100,000 feet,

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giving us a clear view of space

above Earth's atmosphere,

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which allows us to look out

into the universe.

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Instruments flying on NASA's balloons

often study things like cosmic rays

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and dark matter. Balloons also provide

a way to test scientific instruments

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before they go on a larger space missions

like space telescopes.

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NASA flies

a couple of kinds of scientific balloons.

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Some are open at the end,

like hot air balloons.

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Another kind known, as super pressure

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balloons, are completely sealed,

so no gases can escape.

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Super pressure balloons can stay aloft

for several weeks and circle the globe.

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Wallops manages NASA's scientific balloons

program,

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launching balloons from around the

world to study our universe.