World View Tests Stratospheric Balloon Rides
- 10 years ago
World View, the company that announced they’ll begin sending people on near-space trips via balloon in 2016, has sent up its first high-altitude test model.
World View Enterprises, Inc., the company that announced they’ll begin sending people on near-space trips via balloon in 2016, has sent up its first high-altitude test model.
It’s a smaller version of the one eventually planned for use, but according to the company’s CEO the results were impressive.
The craft, which is 1-10th the size of the eventual vessel, was launched to a top height of 120 thousand feet and then brought down to 50 thousand.
At that point it was cut free from the balloon carrying it and floated safely to the ground with the assistance of a parafoil.
The goal is to get similarly stellar results using a cabin that accommodates 6 passengers with 2 pilots and hovers at 100 thousand feet.
At that height, the curvature of the Earth can be seen, but gravity is still in play.
The company’s next step is to analyze the data from the test launch and use it to get a larger craft up in the air.
World View has already sold tickets for its first 3 official trips.
They’re currently taking 5 thousand dollar deposits for future bookings. The total price is 75 thousand dollars per person.
World View Enterprises, Inc., the company that announced they’ll begin sending people on near-space trips via balloon in 2016, has sent up its first high-altitude test model.
It’s a smaller version of the one eventually planned for use, but according to the company’s CEO the results were impressive.
The craft, which is 1-10th the size of the eventual vessel, was launched to a top height of 120 thousand feet and then brought down to 50 thousand.
At that point it was cut free from the balloon carrying it and floated safely to the ground with the assistance of a parafoil.
The goal is to get similarly stellar results using a cabin that accommodates 6 passengers with 2 pilots and hovers at 100 thousand feet.
At that height, the curvature of the Earth can be seen, but gravity is still in play.
The company’s next step is to analyze the data from the test launch and use it to get a larger craft up in the air.
World View has already sold tickets for its first 3 official trips.
They’re currently taking 5 thousand dollar deposits for future bookings. The total price is 75 thousand dollars per person.