Flight Profile
Maximum Altitude: |
hmax = 125,000 ft = 24 miles = 40 km |
Ascent Time: |
ta = 2 hr = 7200 s |
Ascent Rate: |
va = 18 ft/s = 1050 fpm = 12 MPH = 5.5 m/s |
Maximum Range: |
Rmax = 300 miles = 500 km |
Float wind speed: |
vb = 68 knots = 78 MPH = 115 ft/s = 35 m/s |
Float time: |
tb = Rmax/vb = 3.8 hr =13700 s |
Impact speed: |
vc = 20 ft/s = 6 m/s |
Environment at Sea Level:
Air Temperature: |
T0 = 288 K = 15°C = 59°F = 518 R
|
Air Density: |
r0 = 1.225 kg/m3 = 0.07648 lb/ft3 = 0.0023769 slug/ft3
|
Air Pressure: |
P0 = 101325 N/m2 = 2116 lb/ft2 = 14.69 lb/in2 |
Expected Environment at Float Height (40 km):
Air Temperature: |
251 K = -22 °C = -8 °F
|
Air Pressure: |
0.040 PSI = 0.0027 atm = 0.27% of sea level |
Air Density: |
0.00024 lbs/ft3 = 0.30 % of sea level
|
Wind Velocity: |
To the West at 68 knots = 78 MPH |
Gravity: |
9.68 m/s2 = 98.8% of sea level
|
Energy Flux from the Sun: |
1400 W/m2
|
Energy Flux from the Earth: |
500 W/m2
|
Cosmic Ray Flux: |
100,000 per sq.meter every 10 seconds
|
Gamma Ray Flux: |
1 per sq.meter every 10 seconds
|
(For more information on how the expected environment at float altitude
is derived from conditions at sea level and from simple physics, check
the Environmental Models page...)
|