The Surprising History of Scientific Ballooning in 11 Missions
a year ago
- #Astronomy
- #Scientific Ballooning
- #NASA
- NASA launched the GUSTO telescope via balloon over Antarctica to study star formation.
- Scientific ballooning has a 250-year history, contributing to major discoveries.
- 1783: First balloon flight with animal passengers by the Montgolfier brothers.
- 1804: Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac studied atmospheric gases at 23,000 feet.
- 1898: Léon Teisserenc de Bort discovered the stratosphere using balloon data.
- 1912: Victor F. Hess discovered cosmic rays via balloon experiments.
- 1931: Auguste Piccard designed a pressurized cabin for high-altitude balloon flights.
- 1947: Stratoscope I used balloons for high-resolution solar imaging.
- 1960: NASA's Echo 1 satelloon pioneered satellite communications.
- 1962: Operation Stargazer marked the last piloted scientific balloon flight.
- 1998: BOOMERanG experiment confirmed the universe's flat geometry.
- 2024: EXCITE mission studies exoplanet atmospheres via balloon.