On this day...

Remembering important events and dates of scientific ballooning history

July

  • July 31 1901

    Berson and Suring reach 35.000 ft in the Preussen

    On this day in 1901, Professor Reinhard Suring and Dr. Arthur Berson of the Prussian Royal Meteorological Institute flew to an altitude of 35,432 feet in the open gondola of their hydrogen balloon "Preussen".

    While breathing oxygen through tubes, they took a series of temperature and pressure readings. At 33,546 feet they both fell unconscious. When Suring fell asleep first, Berson pulled the safety valve several times before he fell asleep too. Fortunately, they both awoke after descending to about 20,000 feet and were able to land safely in front of a welcoming crowd near Briesen, 7.5 hours after their flight began.

  • July 28 1934

    First Explorer mission by National Geographic Society

    On this day in 1934 pilot Major William E. Kepner and Captains Albert W. Stevens and Orville A. Anderson acting as scientific observers reached 60,613 feet in altitude in a 3-million-cubic-foot, hydrogen-filled balloon, the Explorer I, during a flight sponsored by the U.S. Army and the National Geographic Society. Launched from the Stratobowl, a natural depression near Rapid City in the badlands, the flight was shortened by a rip in the balloon's fabric that allowed an uncontrolled release of hydrogen. The balloon went into a rapid descent until, at about 5000 feet, it exploded and the capsule resulted destroyed on the ground. The occupants were able to exit the gondola and parachute safely to the ground before the capsule and balloon crash near Holdredge, Nebraska.

    After the flight, the three aeronauts received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the Secretary of War for the flight. Despite the loss of the capsule and the near loss of the crew, enough experimental data was recovered so that, from a scientific standpoint, the flight was considered a success.

  • July 12 1942

    Wire carrying balloon produces the destruction of a German power plant

    On this day in 1942, one balloon with trailing copper wire launched from England the day before as part of Operation Outward caused a short circuit ultimately destroying a power plant at Böhlen near Leipzig.

    The failure was caused by a phase-to-phase short on a 110-kV overhead transmission line caused the circuit breakers to malfunction, causing one of the 16.5 MW generators to be thrown out of synchronism and begin to vibrate. Its rotor shaft bent, causing mechanical interference with the fixed stator, followed by an explosion and a fire that destroyed the power station.

    The damage from this single event -Outward's soundest success- was estimated to be five times as great as the entire cost of the British balloon offensive.

  • July 5 1947

    First polyethylene balloon launch from Alamogordo AAF

    On this day in 1947 (some sources point the correct day as July 3rd.) the first plastic balloon was flown at Holloman Air Force Base (then denominated Alamogordo Army Air Field) by a team from the New York University under Air Materiel Command contract.

    The balloon, manufactured by Harold A. Smith, Inc. was spherical, 16 feet in diameter with walls made of 0.008" polyethylene heat sealed at the seams. The altitude control was an automatic ballast valve, pressure-triggered to throw off liquid ballast. After launched, the balloon rose to about 16,000 feet MSL before droping back to 9.000 feet where it floated for at least 4 hours, at which time radiosonde reception failed.

    On this flight also was included for the first time a "destruction device" for the purpose of bringing down the balloon after a fixed time to prevent excessive interference in air-traffic lanes. It consisted of an inflammable compound taped to the balloon that when detonated ruptured the side of the balloon allowing a rapid escape of the lifting gas. However the system failed.

  • July 26 1958

    Third manned mission of the Stratolab High program

    On this day in 1958 Commanders Malcolm Ross and Morton L. Lewis ascended for the third time to the stratosphere in a sealed capsule belonging to Navy's STRATOLAB manned program. Both men were sent aloft from the open pit of Portsmouth Mine, near Crosby, Minnesota and reached an altitude of 82,000 feet in a balloon with 5,500 pounds of equipment. The mission ended the next day, near Jamestown, North Dakota after a total flight time of 34 hours and 30 minutes, which by the time set a new endurance record for a flight into the stratosphere.

    Several scientific experiments were made during the flight including: radiometric readings, obtaining air samples at different altitudes, a study of the incidence of cosmic rays on the pilots during their long exposure at altitude, testing an automatic star camera, making observations with a small telescope and scintillation analyzer and collecting meteoric dust.

    Also during the flight was performed the first national television broadcast from the statosphere thanks to a portable camera and transmitter carried onbard.

  • July 11 1972

    Test flights of Viking parachute system begins

    Starting on the 11th, were performed during July the first two balloon flights to test the parachute system to be used on Viking missions to Mars. During the first test in supersonic flight regime, the parachute resulted damaged when it was deployed at 43.3 km of altitude, where dynamic pressure was higher than expected at the planned deployment altitude of 45.3 when air was thinner and equal to Mars atmosphere. The objective was to demonstrate capability of the parachute system at highest speed and most severe loading conditions expected at Mars.

    On the 26th, a second test was performed where payload was dropped and rocket motors ignited, boosting payload to 41 km of altitude. This time the parachute deployed as planned. the objective of this second flight was to test parachute system at transonic conditions and at lowest parachute loading conditions expected over Mars. The balloons for both missions were launched from Roswell and test vehicles were droped over the White Sands Missile Range.

  • July 15 1973

    Balloon launched from Canada lands by accident in Siberia

    On this day in 1973, a balloon carrying an experiment to measure the cosmic-ray positron and negatron spectra developed at the California Institute of Technology was launched succesfully from Fort Churchill, Manitoba as part of 1973 Skyhook program. Altought the experiment went well, the balloon control instrumentation failed and the flight could not be terminated. The balloon, with the payload still attached, went out of control and continued its westerly drift across Canada, Alaska and entered Soviet airspace into Siberia, on July 18. Two days later the balloon crashed near the city of Yakutsk, Siberia.

    A dellegation from Caltech traveled to Moscow in September, to inspect the remains recovered by Soviet authorities. By chance, magnetic tape from onboard recorder that survived damage and contained scientific data collected during the flight was saved. Besides the recovery efforts, the positron-negatron research program was terminated due to lack of funds.

    Some of the diplomatic communications between US and the U.R.S.S. regarding the incident were published by wikyleaks in 2005.

  • July 1 2002

    Steve Fossett achieves solo balloon non-stop fly around the world

    On this day in 2002, american adventurer Steve Fossett made history as he became the first man to fly a balloon solo around the world during his 6th attempt to complete the feat. He launched the 10-story high balloon "Spirit of Freedom" from Northam, Western Australia on June 19, 2002. The mission was sponsored by Bud Light.

    Duration and distance for the record was 13 days, 8 hours, 33 minutes traveling 33.195 kilometers. After crossing the departure line he continued flying and eventually landed in Queensland. At landing, the balloon dragged him along the ground for 20 minutes. Only the capsule survived and months later was taken to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where it was displayed.

    The fly set several records for ballooning: fastest (320 km/h), fastest around the world (13.5 days), longest distance flown solo in a balloon (32,963 km), and 24-Hour Balloon Distance 5,128.66 km.

  • July 25 2012

    Second jump of the Red Bull Stratos program

    On this day in 2012 Austrian parachutist Felix Baumgartner performed the second jump under Red Bull Stratos program. The jump was carried out from a capsule under a stratospheric balloon at an altitude of 96.640 ft, almost 6.000 ft above the planned height.

    The freefall endured 3 minutes 48 seconds, merely 15 seconds longer than the first jump performed on March. Final velocity was of 536 miles per hour.

    Althought the test was succesful, the capsule sustained moderate damage at landing. After recovered, it was tested and finally was decided to built a new capsule for the third and decisive jump that would attempt to break the world record.

  • July 11 2020

    Project Loon starts commercial operation in Kenya

    On this day in 2020, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak, balloons from Loon started to provide internet service in Kenya to subscribers of Telkom.

    On that day, a field test was held for Kenya's Information, Communications, and Technology Minister Joe Mucheru who using the connectivity provided by Loon carried out a live video call with Kenya's President, Uhuru Kenyatta.

    This was the first and only non-emergency use of Loon to provide connectivity on a large-scale basis. The operation would endure until March 1st. 2021, when the service was discontinued following the closing of the project due to financial unsustainabilityfield test unlocked the start of commercial service for Loon.