Abstract

Software to predict the flight path of a high altitude balloon has been created and made available to the community. The code takes inputs including the size of the balloon, how much helium is added, the size of the payload, the parachute diameter, and the launch location. The code then finds the closest weather station and gathers predictions of the weather over the following 5 days. When the time of the launch is specified, the code calculates the lift and ascent rate of the balloon, and propagates it using the wind data from the weather model. The size of the balloon is calculated at each time step to see if it has expanded to its maximum capacity, at which point it bursts. The descent model takes into account the size of the parachute and determines the terminal velocity of the payload train. It propagates the package through the weather model also. There are a number of novel innovations: (1) ensembles can be run to determine how errors in the amount of helium, burst diameter and wind speeds can change the landing location; (2) a burst altitude or time-delay can be specified to allow for flight termination units; (3) the weather station location can be dynamically updated; (4) zero-pressure balloons can be simulated; and (5) the code can be run in real-time, allowing for continuous downloading of the balloon's real-time position, which species the wind speed as a function of altitude. This allows a more accurate specification of the landing location after burst. Examples of balloon flights are presented in order to give an idea of the functionality and accuracy of the model.

How to Cite:

Ridley, A., Hamet, N., Xie, J. & Webb, P., (2014) “Flight Prediction Software for High Altitude Balloons”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2014(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.5581