CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -A NASA super pressure balloon launched in March 2015 from Wanaka Airport, New Zealand, on a journey that will significantly expand the envelope for conducting near-space scientific investigations.

Detailed explanation-2: -The primary objective of the NASA Balloon Program is to provide high altitude scientific balloon platforms for scientific and technological investigations. These investigations include fundamental scientific discoveries that contribute to our understanding of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe.

Detailed explanation-3: -NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility manages the agency’s Scientific Balloon Program with 10-15 flights on average each year from launch sites worldwide.

Detailed explanation-4: -NASA’s Balloon Program Office uses multiple types of balloons to lift scientific payloads into the atmosphere. The Balloon Program Office supports numerous space and Earth science research missions, and different balloons may be more beneficial to different payloads.

Detailed explanation-5: -Launching satellites to orbit becomes easier if the booster rocket is first lifted to high altitude where the air is thin. Indeed, small rockets have been sometimes launched from an aircraft or a balloon.