Aerospace balloon system and method of operation
A balloon system, preferably including a balloon and a payload. A balloon, preferably including a plurality of gores, a plurality of load members, and an apex fitting. A method of balloon system operation, preferably including deflating a balloon, and optionally including operating the balloon system in flight and/or landing the balloon system.
1 . A system comprising:
an apex fitting comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the apex fitting is connected to the second portion of the apex fitting in a first configuration; and
a balloon connected to the first portion of the apex fitting and the second portion of the apex fitting,
wherein the apex fitting is operable to disconnect the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting, wherein the balloon is configured to tear along a seam in response to disconnection of the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the balloon comprises a plurality of meridional elements clamped between concentric rings of the apex fitting.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein, in the first configuration, each meridional element of the plurality of meridional elements is in tension.
4 . The system of claim 3 , further comprising a nadir fitting at a nadir end of the balloon, wherein each of the plurality of meridional elements is clamped between concentric rings of the nadir fitting.
5 . The system of claim 4 , further comprising a payload tethered to the nadir fitting, wherein the nadir fitting is operable to release connection between the balloon and the payload.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the balloon comprises a plurality of gores and a plurality of load members, each load member of the plurality mechanically connects a respective pair of adjacent gores of the plurality along a length of the gores, wherein a subset of the plurality of load members are connected to the first portion of the apex fitting and a remainder of the plurality of load members are connected to the second portion of the apex fitting.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is configured to release a seal in response to disconnection of the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is configured to split along a section of load tape in response to disconnection of the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the balloon comprises a zero-pressure balloon.
10 . A method comprising:
with a balloon connected to a first and a second portion of an apex fitting, descending from the stratosphere into the troposphere; and
after descending into the troposphere and while a projection of the balloon along a gravity vector does not intersect a payload, disconnecting the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: venting a lift gas from the balloon in response to disconnecting the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein disconnecting the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting comprises severing tensile load member.
13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein, while descending from the stratosphere into the troposphere, a payload is tethered to the balloon, wherein disconnecting the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting occurs after the payload contacts a landing surface.
14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein disconnecting the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting occurs before the balloon contacts a landing surface.
15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: releasing a tether that mechanically couples a payload to the balloon.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein disconnecting the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting occurs with the tether in tension.
17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the balloon comprises a zero-pressure balloon.