Chinese Scientific Balloons
Sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns, are airborne paper lanterns that are most commonly used in celebrations and festivals in Asian cultures. They consist of a paper shell stretched over a frame, with a candle inside. When lit, the flame heats the air inside the lantern, causing the lantern to rise into the air like a hot air balloon. In ancient China, sky lanterns were once used strategically in wars by the Chinese.
High-altitude balloons have a history of 200 years. In modern times, they are also called high-altitude scientific balloons, which refer to unpowered aerostats that fly freely in the stratosphere. High-altitude balloons can fly in close space and carry out scientific and technological research activities.
Using high altitude balloons for scientific research activities has become an international norm, with data from the China Science Daily showing that by 2018, the US had released more than 2,000 high altitude balloons, France around 3,000, and Japan more than 800. With technological advances, balloon activities by scientific research organizations and companies around the world are becoming more frequent, which also makes cross-border flights more frequent, including those from the US.
The "immersive" in-situ detection has brought scientists a wealth of first-hand information, which has greatly promoted the disciplines of atmospheric physics, space astronomy, and cosmic ray observational research. At the same time, the high-altitude balloon can also be used as a platform for remote sensing experiments, space load experiments, microgravity science experiments, life science and genetics experiments.
Gu Yidong, academician and octoral supervisor, was director of the academic committee of the Space Application Engineering and Technology Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, chairman of the Chinese Society of Space Science, member of the Chinese Committee of the International Space Research Committee (CNCOSPAR), and a technical consultant for manned spaceflight engineering.
In 1977, Gu Yidong initiated and promoted the development of China's high-altitude scientific balloons, carried out long-term and systematic research on the design and development of balloons, developed and released a series of high-altitude balloons and put them into use, making China the third country in the world with a capacity of 400,000 cubic meters.
Gu Yidong led the establishment of China's high-altitude balloon system, organized and directed more than 180 high-altitude balloon scientific exploration and technical experiments, achieved important results, and promoted the development of China's space scientific exploration. It is the pioneer and foundation of China's high-altitude scientific balloons and major academic leaders. His main contribution to the application of manned spaceflight is to creatively solve the problems of application system integration and the combination of science and engineering, leading the application system to complete all the scheduled scientific and application tasks of the five spacecraft with high quality and excellence.
Jiang Luhua, director of the Balloon Vehicle Research Center of the Institute of Optoelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with a reporter from the "China Science Daily" that high-altitude balloons are an important means of scientific exploration in the stratosphere, but he is not optimistic about its commercial prospects. "Because of the characteristics of low cost, quick results, and heavy load, high-altitude balloons are still ideal platforms for some space and atmospheric science experiments." Jiang Luhua said.
The research and application of high-altitude balloon technology is entering a rising period in our country. In the near-space pilot project recently deployed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, high-altitude balloons will be used as an important means of observation. At the same time, the high-altitude balloon polar expedition will also march to the Antarctic.
Adjacent space refers to the airspace between the bottom of the stratosphere and space, 20 to 100 kilometers above the ground, including most of the stratosphere, the entire mesosphere and part of the ionosphere. It has become a hot area for developed countries to develop and apply in recent decades. However, in terms of detection means, the aircraft cannot stay at this altitude for a long time, and satellite remote sensing detection is also hopeful.
Internationally, the development of high-altitude balloons, especially the technology of long-duration balloon flight, has developed rapidly. So far, the United States has released more than 2,000 high-altitude balloons with a maximum load of 3.6 tons, France has about 3,000, and Japan has more than 800, with a maximum flight height of 50,000 meters. The technical advantages are obvious.
China has a long history of high-altitude scientific balloon exploration. As early as 1984, the Chinese Academy of Sciences built China's first high-altitude scientific balloon system. In the 1980s, it cooperated with the Japan Institute of Space Science and Technology to conduct a trans-Pacific flight from Japan to China. From 1989 to 1991, it cooperated with the Soviet Union. The longest cross-border flight in the northern hemisphere. Over the years, China has carried out about 200 high-altitude balloon flight activities. It can manufacture balloons of up to 600,000 cubic meters, with a maximum flight altitude of 43 kilometers and a maximum load of 1.9 tons.
After a long-term investigation, the Balloon Vehicle Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences cooperated with the Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sciences to establish a new high-altitude balloon flight test base in China in Siziwang Banner, Ulanqab City, Inner Mongolia in 2017.
Gu Yidong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, revealed at the 610th Xiangshan Science Conference held in October 2017 that the stratosphere-tropospheric exchange detection on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau deployed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' near space pilot project, the near space and ionosphere coupling detection, and the near space response to solar storms. The three important research programs, including the China National Aeronautics and Exploration Survey, all use high-altitude balloons as the main detection tool.
On 12 March 2018, when the National "Two Sessions" were held, the launch meeting of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Class A strategic pilot technology project "Near Space Science Experiment System" (referred to as "Honghu Project") was held in Beijing. Xiang Libin, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, member of the party group, and leader of the special leading group, attended the meeting.
At the meeting, Cai Rong, the person in charge of the Honghu project, reported the special implementation plan, and Wei Yong, the project leader, reported the goals of the special scientific research. With the general goal of "recognizable, retainable, and usable", the Honghu Special Project would break through a series of key technologies and develop heavy-duty aerostats, long-lasting overpressure aerostats, reusable power aerostats, Three types of 5-type experimental platforms, including the balloon-borne near-space solar unmanned aerial vehicle system and the mid-level and high-level scientific detection platform in the near space, built China's first near-space scientific experiment system, focusing on the near-space environment and ecosystem.
In three typical regions including mid-latitudes, the near-space comprehensive detection with the most complete coverage parameters and the most complete altitude range has been carried out so far. The special project will deeply describe the weather, electromagnetic environment and radiation environment of near space, explore the environment of near space, reveal the biological effects of key environmental elements in near space, lead the international scientific research of near space, and improve the development and utilization capacity of near space.
The system mainly uses high-altitude scientific balloons as the flight platform, which can support various space science experiments, space exploration and new technology experiments. In order to expand scientific and technological output, the Honghu Special Project has opened up some resources according to the annual scientific experiment plan, and solicited 2021 near-space scientific experiments and technology experimental projects in China.
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