- QinetiQ 1
QinetiQ 1 was a balloon designed to set a new manned balloon world altitude record of around 40 km (25 miles, 132,000 feet). The balloon was named after the main sponsors,
QinetiQ (formerly part of DERA, the BritishDefence Evaluation and Research Agency ).The immense 381 m high zero-pressure balloon was constructed from 5,000 kg of
polyethylene , usinghelium as the lift gas. At its maximum altitude the balloon's volume was 1.25 million m³ (40 million ft³). The two pilots, Andy Elson and Colin Prescot, would have occupied an open deck, relying on Zvezda-manufacturedSokol space suit s to keep them alive during the anticipated twelve-hour flight.The attempt was originally planned for
2002 but adverse high altitude conditions halted attempts in that year. The launch site for the twelve-hour flight was decided to be from off the coast ofCornwall .In
2003 the launch was initially set to take place onSeptember 2 from the deck ofRV Triton off the coast of St Ives. Early that morning, it was decided to postpone the launch for 24 hours due to cloud at high altitude. The following morning an attempt was made to inflate the balloon. At around 6.55am with the balloon inflated to a height of 15 metres, helium began to escape from the envelope. An irreparable tear was discovered along one of the seams of the balloon and all efforts for a flight in 2003 were abandoned.The current record is held by Malcolm Ross and Vic Prather of the
US Navy , who tookStratolab to 34,668 m (113,740 ft) onMay 4 ,1961 above theGulf of Mexico . Prather was drowned when the balloon ditched in the sea at the end of the flight.External links
*http://www.qinetiq1.com
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.