INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE ON SCIENTIFIC BALLOON CAPABILITIES AND INSTRUMENTATION J. A. GASKIN1, I. S., SMITH2, AND W. V. JONES3 1 X-Ray Astronomy Group, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA,
[email protected]. 2Space Science and Engineering Division/15, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Rd, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA,
[email protected] 3Science Mission Directorate, Astrophysics Division DH000 NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA,
[email protected] Received (to be inserted by publisher); Revised (to be inserted by publisher); Accepted (to be inserted by publisher); In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers ushered in a new era of transportation and exploration when they used hot air to drive an un- tethered balloon to an altitude of ~2 km. Made of sackcloth and held together with cords, this balloon challenged the way we thought about human travel, and it has since evolved into a robust platform for performing novel science and testing new technologies. Today, high-altitude balloons regularly reach altitudes of 40 km, and they can support payloads that weigh more than 3,000 kg. Long-duration balloons can currently support mission durations lasting ~55 days, and developing balloon technologies (i.e. Super-Pressure Balloons) are expected to extend that duration to 100 days or longer; competing with satellite payloads. This relatively inexpensive platform supports a broad range of science payloads, spanning multiple disciplines (astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary and earth science.) Applications extending beyond traditional science include testing new technologies for eventual space-based application and stratospheric airships for planetary applications. Keywords: balloon payloads, scientific ballooning, balloon flight operations.