Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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PV Stabilized High Altitude Balloon

PV array to pump gas into a tank before it can escape
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There are three kinds of high altitude balloons: Expanding latex balloons, zero pressure balloons and super pressure balloons. The first are large latex balloons that contain the lifting gas and explode at an altitude where the gas expands past the ability of the envelope to contain it. They usually go up until a preset altitude and then burst. The second are envelopes with open bottoms that can vent lifting gas as the ambient pressure drops to allow them to vent lifting gas as ambient pressure drops. They stay up for longer periods of time but loose lifting gas each day as solar heating causes the gas to expand and vent and then drop in altitude as the remaining gas cools at night. The last are closed inelastic envelopes which are made strong enough to contain the gas as it is heated during the day and can stay aloft for weeks or months. My idea is to use a PV array to power a pump to pump lifting gas from the balloon into a small tank and then re-release the gas at night. This would allow you to make a cheap zero pressure balloon with the duration of a super pressure balloon.
MisterQED, May 27 2009

Google like the idea and of course did it better with steering http://www.google.com/loon/
[MisterQED, Jun 20 2013]

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       Nice idea.
MaxwellBuchanan, May 27 2009
  

       Having thought along similar lines, I have to bun. Besides, the poor man version is just a solar powered valve. And it is only a step away from the graduated vacuum balloon I used to think about (while I was under the impression that a vacuum would suck shit into space)
4whom, May 27 2009
  

       If the problem with zero pressure balloons is the daily expansion/contraction cycle, then why not have a balloon which vents as necessary until it reaches its ceiling, then closes off the vent and behaves like an expanding latex balloon (ie, accommodating the relatively small daily pressure cycle, rather than venting)?
MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 20 2013
  

       All it really needs to work properly is a six-mile high aerogel tower. </not giving in that easily>.
not_morrison_rm, Jun 22 2013
  

       how did the Zeppelins work?
pashute, Jun 24 2013
  
      
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