Status of the NASA balloon program

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Balloon Program has been highly successful since recovering from the catastrophic balloon failure problems of the early to mid 1980s. Balloons have continued to perform at unprecedented success rates. The comprehensive research and development (R&D) effort has continued with advances being made across the spectrum of balloon related disciplines. The long duration balloon project will be transitioning from a development effort to an operational capability this year. Recently, emphasis has been placed on the development and implementation of new support systems and facilities. A new permanent launch facility at Fort Sumner, New Mexico has been established. New ground station support equipment is being implemented, and a new heavy load launch vehicle is scheduled to be implemented in 1992. The progress, status and future plans for these and other aspects of the NASA program will be presented.