Poster Presentation

Lessons From Zero Pressure Balloon Construction

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Abstract

Zero pressure balloons are low-pressure scientific balloonsconstructed such that level floats are made possible through autonomous gasventilation and eliminate the necessity of an electronic vent to generate neutralbuoyancy. The low pressure exerted on the balloon film and the relativelysimple construction also allow for the ability to manufacture a balloon in-house.Such characteristics make a zero pressure balloon a considerable candidate as ascientific testing bed for experiments at the edge of space. However, theeducational value of constructing a zero-pressure balloon also presents great opportunitiesfor learning opportunities. The 2022 summer interns for the B.O.R.E.A.L.I.S. branchof the Montana Space Grant Consortium constructed two zero pressure balloonsand learned valuable lessons regarding the technical manufacture of a zeropressure balloon and multiple other soft sill lessons in teambuilding, qualitycontrol, patience, and time-resource management. The ability to construct ‘homemade’balloons also highlighted the prospect of outreach to new audiences forscientific ballooning due to the relatively simple manufacturing processes used.A few observations made while constructing the zero pressure balloons includedthe dimensions and geometry of the balloon gores, the use of a seam sealer inorder to join the balloon gores, and the process used to seal the upper andlower buttons. The labor required to construct the zero pressure balloon leavesroom for improvement as the number of labor hours required to build a balloon canbe as great as 50 labor hours but presents a unique challenge to interns for bettermanaging time, manufacturing processes with the challenge of not compromisingconstruction quality.‌

Keywords: learning opporunities, interns

How to Cite:

Long, C. R., (2022) “Lessons From Zero Pressure Balloon Construction”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2022(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.15634