From the article: Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have, by now, spent almost two years on the surface of Mars. They traveled several miles each, frequently stopping and analyzing scientific targets with their cameras, spectrometers and other instruments to uncover evidence of liquid water on Mars in the past. Their mission is a smashing success for NASA. Read the full article here: […]
From the article: Balloons outfitted with innovative steering devices and robot probes could be the future of planetary exploration. Dr. Alexey Pankine, a fellow at the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC), presented an analysis of balloon applications for planetary science at the World Space Congress in Houston, Texas last month. His study, entitled Directed Aerial Robot Explorers or DARE, is funded by NIAC. […]
From the article: Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have, by now, spent almost two years on the surface of Mars. They traveled several miles each, frequently stopping and analyzing scientific targets with their cameras, spectrometers and other instruments to uncover evidence of liquid water on Mars in the past. Their mission is a smashing success for NASA. But what if NASA had a platform […]
NASA investigates using a wing to steer the next generation of planetary balloon probes through alien atmospheres. Access the illustration here:
From the article: NASA contractor Global Aerospace recently developed a hybrid satellite-balloon. The contraption, dubbed the StratoSail, was originally conceived as a way to control the paths of weather balloons floating at the edge of space. Yet this match made in the heavens might be headed for a very real hell: the nightmarish atmosphere of Venus. Global Aerospace’s Dr. Alexey Pankine […]
From the article: Remote-controlled balloons carrying armies of minirobots could be filling Mars’ skies if a project by Californian scientists takes off. NASA-funded researchers are developing the StratoSail, a balloon with a wing, that can be accurately steered through Mars’ winds for months. Like weather balloons, the StratoSail could carry cameras and gadgets to spot potential areas for human missions. Read the full article here: MORE ABOUT PLANETARY BALLOONS […]
From the article: A Californian company, Global Aerospace Corporation (GAC), is developing remote-controlled balloons for the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). BBC News Online reports in this article that their goal is to send these balloons carrying robots and cameras to explore Mars skies. But it’s not for a near term future. Read the […]
From the article: A balloon-based spacecraft could survey Mars with rover-level detail in a fraction of the time it takes with ground-based vehicles, scientists say. The U.S. space agency’s celebrated Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have each roamed several miles during nearly two years on the planet’s surface. Their mission has been an unqualified success, providing breathtaking images and important data. Read […]
Abstract In late 1995, a study was initiated at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of a 2001 Mars Aerobot/Balloon System (MABS) Mission Participants included NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (LMA), the French Space Agency (CNES) Toulouse Space Center, NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), and Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) plus numerous industrial partners. The purposes of the study […]
ALTADENA, CA – Balloons outfitted with innovative steering devices and robot probes may be the best way to survey Mars, in detail, in preparation for human exploration. Dr. Alexey Pankine, a project scientist at the Global Aerospace Corporation, is presenting an analysis of balloon applications for Mars exploration at the Space Technology and Applications International Forum in […]
The Venus Geoscience Aerobot Mission Study (VEGAS) was a four-month analysis of a semiautonomous, altitude-controlled balloon mission to Venus. The study focuses on a Delta launch in the 2007 timeframe, with a nominal 100-day balloon mission and orbiter telecom relay. After the initial balloon and payload deployment in the Venusian atmosphere, the balloon is capable of repeated excursions from altitudes of 60 […]
GAC featured in an article published on SpaceDaily in regards to the possibility of space exploration via Space Balloons. From the article: Balloons outfitted with innovative steering devices and robot probes may be the best way to perform detailed surveys of Mars in preparation for human exploration. Dr. Alexey Pankine, project scientist at the Global Aerospace Corporation, presented an analysis of balloon applications for Mars exploration […]