A high-altitude energy storage experiment

The region often called near space is the region of that atmosphere that is too high for common aircraft to operate, but too low for satellites to maintain orbit. This area has become a serious consideration for stationing aircraft for commercial and military applications. Although researchers have been performing unmanned tests into the region, the ability to employ a vehicle and have it maintain its position for extended times has not been realized. One major concern for the development of such a vehicle is the amount of power that will be available to support long operation. Solar radiation is the main source of energy, but it is only available during certain periods of a 24 hour day. Further, depending upon the location of the vehicle and the time of year, being able to capture all of the available energy and efficiently store it can be quite and engineering problem. The University of Alabama Student High Altitude Power Experiment (UA-SHAPE) has proposed an experiment that will be included in the payload of the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) which is a lighter than air vehicle conceived and controlled by The Louisiana State University Department of Physics and Astronomy. This vehicle is a large helium balloon that will carry a payload to altitudes of approximately 120,000 feet and maintain the altitude for 15 to 20 hours.