This site is the live, working resource site for the balloon team. It serves as the repository of all information on the balloon program. All that we do is documented here, or linked to from here. It is not necessarily meant to be a nice to read website, it's meant to be a construction plan, a technical handbook, and an operations manual. You will find the nitty gritty of long duration ballooning here.

First time visitors please visit our main site http://whitestarballoon.org

Contact us at info@whitestarballoon.org

Group/Mailing List
Meeting Agendas and Minutes
Spaceport Indiana Directions from LVL1

Main website: http://WhiteStarBalloon.com
Photos
Facebook page
UStream Live Video Channel

• General Info for the FAA/ATC about our program and procedures.
  
• General public info about the balloons.
  

Details about each flight's specific systems, plans, and performance.

SpeedBall-1 First Long-duration flight attempt
SpeedBall-2

SPITBall-1 Burst test flight of trans-atlantic balloon Nov 20 2011
Piggyback-1 Flew Nov 5 2010
HighBall-1 - Parted out for other flights, unflown

Operations manuals for SpeedBall missions for Mission Control teams.

Mission Control (private, sorry.)

Remote Mission Controllers, start here!

Flight Interactive Decision Tree

Launch

Payload Communications

ATC Airspace Notification

Weather/Flight Path

Science

Data Processing/servers

Flight Rules

Flight dynamics

PR

Safety

Launch - sites, crew, procedures
Flight Dynamics - Modeling/predicting what the balloon will/should do
Flight Rules - Artificial constraints imposed upon in-flight decision-making
Flight Weather/Flight Path - data for flight decision-making and predicting the flight path
Airspace Notification Planning - talking to ATC about the balloon
General Constraints Guide
Launch Location Outline
Launch Window Outline

• Main Flight Comptuer
  • Flight Computer V1.0
  • Flight Computer V1.2
  • Venus GPS Module
  • Hardware and Software Design Guidelines
  • I2C Communications Protocol
• Modules
  • Ballast Controller V1
    • V1.0
    • V1.1
  • Balloon Sensor Node
    • Balloon Sensor Node V1
    • Balloon Sensor Node V2
  • Comm Controller
    • Comm Controller V1
  • Cutdown Module
    • Cutdown Module V1
    • Cutdown Module V1.1
  • Internal Sensor Module
    • Internal Sensor Module V1
  • External Sensor Module
    • Cloud Sensor Research
    • External Sensor Module V1
  • Power Controller
    • Power Controller Brainstorming
    • Power Controller V1
    • Power Controller V1.5
    • Power Controller V2
  • Radio Information
    • Satellite Radios
      • Satellite Radios Research
      • Digi M10 Radio Information
        • Digi M10 SMTP Interface
        • Digi M10 Debug Interface Commands
        • Digi M10 Flight Test 1
      • Digi M10 Orbcomm 2M/150MHz VHF Antenna
    • HF Radio Information
      • Bill Brown WB8ELK 40M Transmitter
  • Payload Box for Speedball 1
    • Payload Box Evolution
    • Payload Box Requirements
• Ground Systems
  • Cryochamber
  • Ground Support Board
  • Data Display Signs
• Wire Color Standards

• HighBall-1 Main Flight Computer Details

• Software
  • Main Flight Computer Software Structures
  • Speedball 1 Software Failure Modes
• Communications
  • Motorola i296 Cell Phone - Simple Guide to Development
  • Telemetry Design Notes
    • Satellite Telemetry Design
• Balloon Envelopes
  • LVL1.1 Zero Pressure Balloon Specs
  • Latex Weather Balloons
• Balloon Overflow Valve
• Payload Box Central Hub
• Upgrades per Flight
  • Strobe
  • Video Cam Module

• Materials Info
  • Helium Info
  • Dry Ice Info

We suspect that hoar frost or rime icing may occur on the balloon envelope during certain conditions of flight. This could add significant weight to the balloon.

Our research info so far on icing

Several Papers describe small zero-pressure balloon research flights similar to ours.

• WS Re-Analysis of prior Trans-Atlantic balloon flight attempts
  • UTARC/Spirit of Knoxville flights (Looking at 3 of them)
• Target Flight Data Set

• Cryogenic Performance of materials/equipment
• Complete - Satellite modem dipole
  • Flight Test 1 - Latex Balloon
• Ballast System Calibrations

• White Star SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) logo: Logo
• White Star Cryogenic Chamber Sign: Sign

• live launch site video setup
• Press Release Contacts

White Star Balloon Pennant with dimensions
White Star Balloon Pennant

• White Star Amateur Ballooning Compendium

• http://www.briancasey.org/artifacts/astro/almanac.cgi
• NCAR Scientific Ballooning Handbook Part 1 Extremely detailed information on balloon flight!
• NCAR Scientific Ballooning Handbook Part 2
• FAA Regulation Waiver Application Form Not required for our flights
• Paper: Balloon Trajectory Prediction
• Paper: HIGH-ALTITUDE AIR MASS ZERO CALIBRATION OF SOLAR CELLS
• Paper: THE DRIFTSONDE OBSERVING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
• http://www-frd.fsl.noaa.gov/mab/sdb/pubdoc/tl_aiaa.htm NOAA Superpressure balloon design evolution
• Paper: Controlled-Altitude Free Balloons, Early work on zero pressure balloons
• http://www.mitre.org/work/tech_papers/tech_papers_08/07_0634/ Paper on a handheld AA Battery powered ADS-B transponder
• PAPER: Superpressure Balloon Flights from Christchurch, New Zealand August 1967 - June 1968
• Carrier Balloon Test Flights from Oakey, Australia January 1973

• Paper:A Case Study of the Jet Stream Clouds

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