Abstract

The ability to make accurate predictions of a high altitude balloon’s flight trajectory is critical for safety, protection of sensitive payloads, and ease of payload recovery. Several free software programs and websites are available which make predictions straightforward and yield acceptable results. Additional resources are presented which help evaluate the stability of the projected flight track. The various methods of prediction will be described and results compared with actual flight data.

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High Altitude Balloon Flight Predictions

The ability to make accurate predictions of a high altitude balloon’s flight trajectory is critical for safety, protection of sensitive payloads, and ease of payload recovery. Several free software programs and websites are available which make predictions straightforward and yield acceptable results. Additional resources are presented which help evaluate the stability of the projected flight track. The various methods of prediction will be described and results compared with actual flight data.