Space Environment

NIRVANA
Facility for the Study of Stratospheric Balloons Subsystems

Objectives

• Study of helium tightness and mechanical behavior of balloon subsystems (polar zone, gores with sealing…) with differential pressure, temperature and realistic loading simulating the gondola mass.

Facilities

• Pressure: 1 to 1000 hPa
• Differential pressure: 0 to 100 hPa
• Temperature: -120 to +20°C
• Mechanical load: 0 to 6 tons evenly distributed with 150 pincers
• Diameter of tested samples: 1450 mm
• Useful volume: 1m³
• Measurement of helium permeability with mass spectrometry
• Laser displacement measurement
• 3D strain measurement with CCD cameras

Applications

• Study of helium tightness of a zero pressure stratospheric balloon apex equipped with an exhaust valve and a realistic tendon loading
• Strain measurement of super pressure balloon parts as a function of differential pressure and temperature (Vorcore project)

Funding

• Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES)

Last Update:April 25, 2003 - © ONERA 2009 - Terms of use