 Breitling Orbiter 3 side view |
|
Balloon |
|
|---|---|
| Height: | 55 m (180 ft) inflated |
| Fuel: | Propane |
| Type: | Rozier balloon |
| Model: | Cameron R-650 |
Gondola |
|
| Height: | 3. Propane is a three- Carbon Alkane, normally a gas but compressible to a liquid that is transportable The Rozière balloon (or simply Rozière) is a type of hybrid balloon that has separate chambers for a non-heated lifting gas (such 1 m (10 ft 3 in) |
| Length: | 5. 4 m (17 ft 10 in) |
| Weight: | 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) empty |
| Material: | Kevlar and carbon fiber composite weave |
| Cabin Air: | nitrogen-oxygen mixture |
| Cabin Pressure: | 3. Kevlar is the registered Trademark for a light strong para-aramid Synthetic fiber, related to other Aramids such as Nomex and 5 psi at altitude |
| Manufacturer: | Cameron Balloons, 1998 |
| Location: | National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery |
 Breitling Orbiter 3 end view |
|
Breitling Orbiter 3 was the first balloon to fly around the world non-stop, piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones. Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture Hot air balloons Cameron Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The National Air and Space Museum (NASM of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington D A balloon is a flexible bag filled with a type of Gas, such as Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrous oxide or air. Dr Bertrand Piccard (born March 1, 1958) is a Swiss Psychiatrist and balloonist. Brian Jones (born 27 March 1947 in Bristol, England) is an English balloonist. Designed and built by Cameron Balloons, of Bristol, England, Breitling Orbiter 3 stood 55 m (180 ft) tall when fully inflated. Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture Hot air balloons Cameron Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The propane gas that fueled the six burners was contained in 28 titanium cylinders mounted in two rows along the sides of the gondola. Concerned about fuel consumption, the team added four additional propane containers prior to take-off; these additional four tanks would be needed to complete the trip.
Contents |
The trip
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones took off from the Swiss Alpine village of Château-d'Œx at 8:05, GMT, March 1, 1999. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen Alpes suisses Alpi svizzere Alps svizras are the central portion of the Alps Mountain range that lies within Château-d'Œx is a municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) They landed in the Egyptian desert 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes later on March 21, 1999, having traveled a distance of 40,814 km (25,361 mi). This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. During the course of the trip, the balloon had climbed to altitudes of up to 11,373 m (37,313 ft), and achieved a maximum speed of 161 knots.
The daily routine called for each man to spend eight hours alone at the controls; eight hours working with his crewmate; and eight hours in the single bunk. A unique pressure-operated toilet was included in a curtained off area at the rear of the craft. A toilet is a Plumbing fixture and disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the bodily wastes: Urine and fecal matter. In spite of heaters designed to maintain a more comfortable 15°C (59°F), cabin temperatures occasionally fell so low that drinking water froze and ice had to be carefully chipped away from delicate electronic circuitry on the interior walls.
On the morning of Monday, March 22, 1999, The Washington Post carried a front page feature article, Earthbound but on Cloud Nine, describing the trip and the successful conclusion of the flight the day before. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D When asked by reporter Howard Schneider about the fate of Breitling Orbiter 3, project manager Alan Noble remarked that the sponsors and the team ". . . would probably donate the craft to a museum. Possibly the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian. " these words would later become fact. The gondola of the orbiter now resides on the ground floor of the National Air and Space Museum in the Milestones of Flight Gallery, next to other legendary aircraft - The Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, the Mercury Friendship 7 capsule, the Gemini IV capsule, the Apollo 11 command module, and Space Ship One. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Mercury-Atlas 6 mission was the first attempt by the US and Mercury program to place an astronaut in orbit Gemini 4 (officially Gemini IV) was a June 1965 Manned space flight in NASA 's Gemini program. SpaceShipOne is a Spaceplane that completed the first privately funded Human spaceflight on June 21, 2004.
The balloon
The Breitling Orbiter 3 was a Rozier balloon, which combines the features of a hot-air balloon and a gas balloon, with a helium cell within the hot-air envelope. The Rozière balloon (or simply Rozière) is a type of hybrid balloon that has separate chambers for a non-heated lifting gas (such The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying Flight technology A gas balloon is any Balloon that stays aloft due to being filled with a gas less dense than air or Lighter than air (such as Helium or Hydrogen Helium ( He) is a colorless odorless tasteless non-toxic Inert Monatomic Chemical Initially, the helium cell is filled to approximately 47% of its maximum capacity. During ascent, the drop in atmospheric pressure and the expansion of gas due to the effect of the sun make the helium increase in volume and the balloon thus gains altitude.
The gondola
The Breitling Orbiter 3 gondola was constructed of a weave of Kevlar and carbon fiber material. Kevlar is the registered Trademark for a light strong para-aramid Synthetic fiber, related to other Aramids such as Nomex and After take-off the cabin was sealed at 1,800 m (6,000 ft) to trap the air within it. During the flight the cabin atmosphere was supplemented by nitrogen and oxygen; the carbon dioxide was removed by lithium hydroxide filters. Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14 Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the Carbon dioxide ( Chemical formula:) is a Chemical compound composed of two Oxygen Atoms covalently bonded to a single Lithium hydroxide (LiOH is a corrosive Alkali hydroxide. It is a white Hygroscopic Crystalline material Cabin pressure was maintained at around 3. 5 psi by adding oxygen and nitrogen to the cabin air, as necessary. At 10,000 m (33,000 ft), the cabin pressure equaled the atmospheric pressure at 3,000 m (10,000 ft). Cabin pressurization is the active pumping of compressed Air into an Aircraft cabin when flying at altitude to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew Solar panels suspended beneath the gondola recharged the onboard lead-acid batteries that provided electrical power. In the field of Photovoltaics, a photovoltaic module is a packaged interconnected assembly of photovoltaic cells also known as Solar cells An installation of Satellite-based systems enabled the crew to navigate via GPS as well as communicate. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth
References
External links
- Cameron Balloons orbiter website
- Brian Jones' personal website for the orbiter project
- BBC NEWS: Life inside Breitling Orbiter 3
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic