Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Heliotrope: A Solar Powered Hot Air Balloon Flight System

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1615561· OSTI ID:1615561
 [1]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
What it is: A roughly spherical balloon constructed from light duty painter's plastic (0.31 mil high density polyethylene) and darkened with air float charcoal powder. Balloons typically range from 12-40 ft across depending on mission needs. How it works: Sunlight shines on the balloon, heating the air inside. The density difference due to the hot air in the balloon is sufficient to lift it up to 80,000 ft in the air
Research Organization:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1615561
Report Number(s):
SAND--2020-4094R; 685349
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Evaluation of the EarthSHAB Stratospheric Solar Hot Air Balloon Flight Prediction Model Using Balloon Trajectory Data
Journal Article · Sat Nov 30 19:00:00 EST 2024 · Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology · OSTI ID:2479997

Multihour Stratospheric Flights with the Heliotrope Solar Hot-Air Balloon
Journal Article · Sun May 31 20:00:00 EDT 2020 · Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology · OSTI ID:1632234

Related Subjects