Research institute readies balloon flights to study stars
HYDERABAD: The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) will launch a series of balloon flights beginning November 15 for various scientific studies, including pollution.
The balloon facility at Hyderabad will conduct 10 flights till April 10, 2017. According to B Suneel Kumar, scientist in charge of the facility, the studies would be conducted with the help on the department of atomic energy and Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
“It would study the impact of various radiations emanating from stars... on the Earth’s surface,” Kumar told HT. Normally, huge telescopes were required for such work. “So, we install smaller telescopes in the balloons and send them into the atmosphere up to 30-43 km distance from the Earth’s surface to collect data,” he said.
The balloons would also be used to study pollution. Instruments installed in the balloons can measure the spread of black carbon particles over 1km to 13km above Earth’s surface, which would allow Isro to assess the extent of global warming caused by carbon emissions.
Made of twin polythene The balloon flight facility at Hyderabad will conduct 10 flights till April 10 next year Small telescopes are installed in the balloons to study the impact of various radiations emanating from stars
The balloons will also be used to study pollution
The advantage of the small
films, the balloons are huge – with diameter ranging from 50-85 metres, the size of a football field.
According to a TIFR release, the balloons will drift on the Visakhapatnam-HyderabadSholapur line. Kumar requested people not to remove the instruments and get in touch with the addresses printed on them.
The advantage of the telescopes sent into the sky through balloons is that the visibility of stars would be more because of the reflection of light from the curvature of the earth. “It would help the telescopes get the clear picture of stars and collect accurate data,” he said.
“They are filled with hydrogen and released into the air. They will be in the air for a day before returning to the ground. We will launch the balloons soon telescopes sent into the sky is that the visibility of the stars would be more because of reflection of light
The balloons will drift on the Visakhapatnam-HyderabadSholapur line
They may land anywhere between 200km to 350kms from Hyderabad.
after getting the clearance from the research institutes,” he said.
According to the release, during ascent, the balloons will drift in the prevailing winds and the instruments, may land anywhere between 200 km to 350 kms from Hyderabad.
Expected regions of impact of the payload after release from the balloon are: Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medak, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Warangal, Khammam, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Adilabad districts of Telangana.
“While the instruments are extremely sensitive and valuable, scientific data will be lost if they are tampered. Instruments are safe and harmless but there may be having high voltages on some of the instruments and hence should not be opened,” Kumar said.