The Flight test Aspects of the Air-Launched Balloon System (ALBS) development Program

Abstract

The Air Launched Balloon System (ALBS) development history is traced and the circumstances leading up to planned ALBS flight tests are described, including a report on successful tests of the cryogenic storage subsystem. The theoretical performance of a candidate parachute development system--35-ft (10. 67 m) diameter ring sail drogue, 64-ft (19.51 m) diameter flat circular main chute--is mathematically analyzed using a number of stated assumptions. Contingency arrangements (e.g., use of ballast) and their impact are discussed. Data indicate that the ALBS mid-air deployment concepts require experimental proof-of-concept testing to ensure optimum component selection. Parachute subsystem verification tests planned for the autumn of 1976 at El Centro, Calif. , are outlined along with plans for partial and complete ALBS system test drops from a carrier balloon in 1977 at White Sands Missile Range.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 25, 1976
Accession Number
ADA037540

Entities

People

  • Andrew S. Carten Jr.

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Cyber
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Launched
  • Altitude
  • Aluminum Oxides
  • Coefficients
  • Computations
  • Diameters
  • Drop Tests
  • Dynamic Pressure
  • Engineering
  • Heat Transfer
  • High Altitude
  • Instrumentation
  • Prototypes
  • Standards
  • Three Dimensional
  • Vehicles

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Fault Tolerant Diagnosis of Black and White Balloon Isolation Tests Using ¥.
  • Theoretical Analysis.