Scientific data gathering system for Antarctic icecap study

摘要

The system includes a number of balloons placed at regular intervals parallel to the Earth surface at an altitude of 35 to 40 Km. The balloons are placed at this altitude during the local summer months when the wind speed is of the order of 20 Km/h. Each balloon is provided with a basket where scientific data collecting instruments are placed. A GPS beacon is also provided for each balloon so that data collection is done simultaneously by all of them. The beacon also establishes the balloon position relative to the surface. A high capacity memory is provided for each balloon to store the information collected. A remote control receiver cooperates with surface emitters which can command separation of the basket from the balloon.