DescentBB

The Spirit of Knoxville:
autonomous trans-atlantic balloon project

We're sending a series of unmanned balloons out to cross the Atlantic Ocean. When (or if) one makes it, it might just be a world record of some sort.

Here's what will happen:
A Spirit of Knoxville autonomous balloon will be released from downtown Knoxville, TN, climb to 42,000 ft, enter the jetstream, and be whisked across the Atlantic Ocean... we hope. All the while a homemade radio will send us its location, height and other health info about the flight. All of this information will be available right here on our site in real-time during missions.

Sign up and we'll let you know when we're having a launch. We usually get about 48 hours notice that the weather is right. We'll keep launching every few weeks or until we make it to Europe or Africa.

Be a part of history in the making, or at least have fun watching us try!

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Over the radio, it constantly tells us where it is, and how high it's gotten, so we can chase madly after it in a cross-country fox hunt to catch up with the electronic balloon passenger after it parachutes softly back to earth. Things can go wrong, but we try to give the little computer a \"Plan B\" to try when things get tough, so it can at least have a fair shot for survival.

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Learning from our mistakes, we know the quirks of the Jet Stream, the sucker punches that come at 70 degrees below zero, the unexpected strength of air pressure, and the magic of shortwave radio. We're now at a point where our electronic explorer, the little flight computer, has all the skills to keep a balloon out of trouble for up to a week, and we've found a balloon designer that has brought to us a proven home made design, trustworthy of flying for several days at a time. The next flight we fly will be the first one that is designed to be fully capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and landing on the other side. We have every intention of success, but should it fall into the ocean, we will rest briefly, build it better next time, and fly again until we make it.

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the balloon carries a self-made computer uniquely designed to coordinate with a GPS to relay information regarding the mission. The balloon also carries denatured alcohol that is released by the computer to maintain the necessary altitude; and it is all powered by a cluster of 38 lithium ion AA batteries.

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How does the balloon know where to go?
The truth is it doesn't -- we do! We monitor the wind patterns of the jet stream and can project our balloon's flight path ahead of time using special weather forecasting software. We choose our launch times strategically in order to ensure that the weather's behavior is conducive to where we want the balloon to go during it's multi-day flight.

The Latest News:
Balloon found. In a tree. On private property. Msg left to property owner. Balloon still has a lot of helium left in it. about 3 hours ago
Payload found. Up in a tree. On private property. Messages to property owner left about 3 hours ago
Recovery plans underway. Volunteers heading to area. about 7 hours ago