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UK balloon to dodge cosmic rays on way to Space
London, June 23: Britain`s first ever mission into space unveiled its arsenal of technology on Monday, including a huge helium balloon and space-suits to shield the pilots from cosmic rays.
London, June 23: Britain`s first ever mission into space unveiled its arsenal of technology on Monday, including a huge helium balloon and space-suits to shield the pilots from cosmic rays.
The balloon flight to the limits of the earth`s atmosphere is an attempt to capture the altitude record, which has stood for over 40 years.
For four hours during their challenge, the two pilots will be above 60,000 feet and extremely vulnerable to the rays -- deadly atomic nucleii produced by supernova explosions in outer space.
"There was one day last year when we would have been fried," said Andy Elson, pilot and engineer on the QinetiQ 1 mission.
"We`ll get about one hour`s warning, but we`ll be up in that zone for four hours, so it could be a tight call," he told Reuters. In an emergency, he and co-pilot Colin Prescot could cut away the balloon and hurtle back down to the safety of the earth`s atmosphere.
The label "space mission" is a bit "tongue-in-cheek," Elson said of the planned flight to 40 km (132,000 feet) above the Earth.
Britons have visited the International Space Station before, 354 km above the Earth, but the flight missions themselves were not British.
The weather window will open next month for QinetiQ 1 to challenge a record of 113,000 feet set by the U.S. Navy that has stood since 1961.
"Technically, Britain would be the third nation into space," said Elson. The first two were Russia and the United States.
The atmosphere just below the target altitude is similar to that on Mars, said QinetiQ, an offshoot of Britain`s Ministry of Defense which is fronting the challenge. Hence the need for space suits.
"Our blood would boil and we`d be vaporized above 63,000 feet because of the low air pressure," said Elson.
He and Prescot will be suspended beneath a 1,270 foot helium balloon -- as tall as the Empire State Building -- with polyethylene walls as thin as a household freezer bag.
Sealed inside their space suits, they will be shielded from the extremes of nature, but nothing can protect them from their own bodily functions.
A low-fiber diet for three days before takeoff should reduce some of their problems, but in any case they`ll be wearing nappies beneath their suits.
Bureau Report
The balloon flight to the limits of the earth`s atmosphere is an attempt to capture the altitude record, which has stood for over 40 years.
For four hours during their challenge, the two pilots will be above 60,000 feet and extremely vulnerable to the rays -- deadly atomic nucleii produced by supernova explosions in outer space.
"There was one day last year when we would have been fried," said Andy Elson, pilot and engineer on the QinetiQ 1 mission.
"We`ll get about one hour`s warning, but we`ll be up in that zone for four hours, so it could be a tight call," he told Reuters. In an emergency, he and co-pilot Colin Prescot could cut away the balloon and hurtle back down to the safety of the earth`s atmosphere.
The label "space mission" is a bit "tongue-in-cheek," Elson said of the planned flight to 40 km (132,000 feet) above the Earth.
Britons have visited the International Space Station before, 354 km above the Earth, but the flight missions themselves were not British.
The weather window will open next month for QinetiQ 1 to challenge a record of 113,000 feet set by the U.S. Navy that has stood since 1961.
"Technically, Britain would be the third nation into space," said Elson. The first two were Russia and the United States.
The atmosphere just below the target altitude is similar to that on Mars, said QinetiQ, an offshoot of Britain`s Ministry of Defense which is fronting the challenge. Hence the need for space suits.
"Our blood would boil and we`d be vaporized above 63,000 feet because of the low air pressure," said Elson.
He and Prescot will be suspended beneath a 1,270 foot helium balloon -- as tall as the Empire State Building -- with polyethylene walls as thin as a household freezer bag.
Sealed inside their space suits, they will be shielded from the extremes of nature, but nothing can protect them from their own bodily functions.
A low-fiber diet for three days before takeoff should reduce some of their problems, but in any case they`ll be wearing nappies beneath their suits.
Bureau Report