NASA had two successful launches of its largest scientific balloons this week in Antarctica as part of a three-flight series on behalf of university researchers studying components of outer space. The project, NASA's Antarctica Long Duration Balloon Flight Campaign, uses unmanned balloons with 40 million cubic feet of volume, as big as a football stadium, that will take advantage of the unique Antarctic climate. The balloons carry solar-powered instruments that will run reliably with the 24-hour sunlight available during Antarctic summers. Meanwhile, the air mass circulating over the continent will keep a balloon circling aloft over land about 24 miles high. Its predictable path will make it easily recoverable after flights that will last about 20 days.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/nasas-antarctic-balloons-on-ice-begin-launches