Research balloon

A research balloon is usually unmanned balloon that is filled with a lifting gas and is used for scientific research.

In addition to the atmospheric research can also be used for astronomical research, a research balloon, as part of the Strato Scope project. The simplest form of research balloons is also known as radiosonde weather balloon. But it will usually not taken into account the actual research balloons, as the weather balloons are launched routinely.

Genuine research balloons are launched only a few times. They have a much more sophisticated instrumentation as a weather balloon. Since research balloons fly at altitudes where the air is too thin to breathe, research balloons are usually unmanned and the experiments are controlled remotely. But there were in past decades several times equipped with pressurized cabins manned balloons as research by Professor Auguste Piccard in the thirties or the Manhigh flights of the U.S. in the fifties.

Research balloons have been used not only on the ground. With the help of research balloons the upper atmosphere of Venus has been studied as part of the Vega project.