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Constellation Management

 

Hemispherical Network

The simulation on this page shows a hemispherical balloon network performing detailed Earth science data collection. There are 383 balloons in a network from +15° latitude to the North pole. The position of each balloon is represented by a red dot. Yellow circles represent the locus of points that emit to the balloons with an elevation angle of 2 degrees or more. The green areas indicate overlap. Each frame of the simulation represents 1 hour of the evolution of the network.

For each balloon, control actions are determined by algorithms that have been used to describe the motion of flocks of birds and schools of fish. Control is achieved by means of a StratoSail(R) Ballon Guidance System (BGS).

The movie on this web page is a 7-day excerpt from a longer 390-day simulation. In the longer simulation, coverage quality is maintained throughout the year.

 

 

 

Note that QuickTime® is required to view these simulations.
You can get QuickTime® by clicking the button below