NASA Balloon Program Overview

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Balloon Program Office (BPO) continues to support the scientific community by providing enhanced capabilities and reliable platforms. Low-cost, quick response access to near space continues to be provided to NASA’s science community in order to conduct cutting edge science investigations. In addition to being a platform for technology developments, the NASA Balloon Program provides an excellent training ground for the next generation of NASA scientists and engineers. The paper presents the flight manifests since the BPO’s return to flight following the balloon mishap in Australia in April 2010 and highlights some specific missions and technology developments.