BALLOON ASCENT IMPROVEMENT DEVICE.

Abstract

A program was conducted to develop a chemical device for sounding balloons which would produce heat and hydrogen to increase their lifting force during flight and thereby increase their ascent rate. Principal attention was directed to a solid system employing the reaction between silicon and sodium hydroxide. A self-sustaining pyrotechnic device was designed around this device which fitted into the neck of the balloon. Although prototype units performed adequately in the plant laboratory and in tethered balloon tests, performance at night was either poor or inconclusive. At the end of the program, an alternate approach was considered, employing a calcium hydride-water reaction. One model was tested at USAECOM at the ground under simulated flight conditions and provided a substantial increase in heat during its operation. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1968
Accession Number
AD0839914

Entities

People

  • Ralph H. Hiltz

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Calcium Hydrides
  • Chemical Compounds
  • Elements
  • Group 1 Elements
  • Hydrides
  • Hydrogen
  • Hydrogen Compounds
  • Hydroxides
  • Models
  • Prototypes
  • Sodium
  • Sodium Hydroxide

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.
  • Fault Tolerant Diagnosis of Black and White Balloon Isolation Tests Using ¥.