TIFR National balloon facility — Evolution and usage

Abstract

The development of plastic balloon technology was initiated in 1956 at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Bombay and it evolved during late fifties/early sixties to the level of regular design/manufacture and launch of large single cell polyethylene balloons carrying sophisticated experiments to high stratospheric altitudes (32-39 km) with several hours of float at the ceiling altitude. In the period 1959-69 balloon flights were carried out in a campaign mode from the campus grounds of the Osmania University, Hyderabad. In 1968-69, TIFR established an integrated National Scientific Balloon Facility (TNBF), at Maula Ali, Hyderabad. Since late 1969, regular balloon flights with sophisticated advanced experiments, are being conducted from the TNBF, Hyderabad. All the necessary equipments and techniques for the large balloon design/manufacture and launch as also the instrumentation for the scientific data links, and for the remote control of the experiment and the balloon launch vehicle, were developed. There has been a continuous evolution towards higher quality level I all these aspects of scientific ballooning, and since 1977-78 the scientific balloon facilities available are comparable to those at other leading balloons centres in the world. The TNBF has been extensively used by a large scientific community within India as also by the scientific groups from several other countries. These balloon flights have resulted in important scientific results in different areas of spaces science. In this paper, a brief account of the evolution of the TNBF and its usage by the scientific community has been given.