THE
CHALLENGE
One
of the biggest challenges is to keep the burners going
in an atmosphere virtually devoid of oxygen. During
the last record breaking flight, it is believed the
burners flamed out at about 60000 ft. Innovative means
need to be devised to overcome this crucial problem.
The balloon or better known as the envelope is designed
to be about 1.6 million cubic ft. making it one of
the largest balloons ever built. This task is being
undertaken by Don Camerron the biggest and best-known
manufacturer in the world. The sealed capsule that
will house the pilot and all his support systems is
being designed and manufactured by Andy Elson, the
scientist par excellence. The capsule is designed
to be cylindrical about 3 meters by 1.5 meters with
all safety devices to cater to any unforeseen emergency.
The pilot, Dr. Vijaypat Singhania, will be ably assisted
by his team of professionals from various disciplines
of aviation like Met officers, ATCOs, and the like.
The
expected duration to climb to the required altitude
would be about 3 hours, and the descent about an hour
and a half. The prevailing winds during that time
of the year would blow the balloon north-east wards,
to a distance of about 100 kms. During the entire
flight the balloon would be tracked and assisted by
ground controllers at mission control. After a successful
landing an elaborate team of ground crew would retrieve
the pilot and his equipment from the landing site.
