Near Space Balloon Performance Predictions

The objective of this paper is to discuss the development of a performance predictor for near space balloon systems during the ascent phase of the mission. During the ascent phase, the major parameters that are involved are the drag coefficient and the expansion of the balloons volume. These parameters will be determined by using a combination of real flight data and experiments ran in a lab. Once these parameters are found, a numerical simulation of the ascent phase is then compared to the results obtained from actual flights.