Originally envisioned to study upper atmospheric phenomena, the Rocket Balloon system (or Rocketball for short) has utility in a range of applications, including sprite detection and in-situ measurements, near-space measurements and calibration correlation with orbital assets, hurricane observation and characterization, technology testing and validation, ground observation, and education. A salient feature includes the need to reach space and near-space within a critical time-frame and in adverse local meteorological conditions. It can also provide for the execution of technology validation and operational demonstrations at a fraction of the cost of a space flight. In particular, planetary entry probe proof-of-concepts can be examined. A typical Rocketball operational scenario consists of a sounding rocket launch and subsequent deployment of a balloon above a desired location. An obvious advantage of this combination is the additional mission 'hang-time' rendered by the balloon once the sounding rocket flight is completed. The system leverages current and emergent technologies at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and other organizations.
The Rocket Balloon (Rocketball): Applications to Science, Technology, and Education
7th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation/International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and German Aerospace Center (DLR) ; 2009 ; Berlin, Germany
2009-01-01
Preprint
No indication
English
Esrange: Sounding Rocket and Balloon Facility
NTIS | 1991
|Sounding Rocket and Balloon Systems Support
NTIS | 1979
|Swedish Sounding Rocket and Balloon Programme
NTIS | 1991
|Norwegian Sounding Rocket and Balloon Programme
NTIS | 1991
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