1. Balloon Systems Technical Committee 2007 Overview

2. Balloon Systems TC Scope Development and application of free floating balloon systems as well as the technologies necessary to achieve buoyant flight in stratospheric and planetary atmospheres.

3. Balloon Systems TC Overview Membership 20 members 15 from industry (includes 1 international member from the UK) 3 government (includes 1 international member from France) 2 academia (includes 1 international member from Canada) Meetings: Three meetings with several informal subcommittee meetings Meetings focused on preparations for the AIAA ADS/Balloon Technology conference in Williamsburg Yahoo Groups Webspace Implemented in August of 2007 Used as a common area for member comments, a shared calendar, file storage, and discussion threads. The webspace is very useful, but some users on government computer systems are not allowed to access it from work.

4. ADS/Balloon Conference May 2006 at Williamsburg Lodge, Virginia 33 papers presented Averaged 40 attendees in the audience for each paper Otto C. Winzen Lifetime Achievement Award Presented to Arthur Giannetti from the Air Force Research Lab, a pioneer in the application of scientific balloon for aerospace systems testing Selection process that was rewritten in 2006 was used. The process went very well with only one change necessary.

5. ADS/Balloon Conference Comments Summary Most common good comments Co-location with ADS – lots of cross-over and good hallway discussions Nice location Lots of recommendations for future co-locations with ADS and LTA Most common negative comments Hotel room cost at Williamsburg Lodge. Most attendees stayed off-site. Travel difficulty – drive from Norfolk to Williamsburg required a rental car. Manuscript submittal was required too far in advance of the conference

6. Technical Activities Balloon sessions are held at COSPAR in even years, and the AIAA Balloon Conference is held in odd years. COSPAR will be in Montreal in 2008. Consensus is growing toward co-locating with ADS and LTA in May of 2009 in a west coast venue. Seattle is currently at the top of the list. We will favor a downtown location so attendees can use a taxi from the airport. AIAA staff is planning a survey trip to Seattle after Reno 2008.

7. Ongoing Technical Activities Providing the planning and support for the bi-annual Balloon Technical Conference. The Balloon TC has successfully co-located with the Lighter Than Air (LTA) TC two times, and will co-locate with the Aerodynamic Decelerator System (ADS) TC this next year. The Balloon TC will continue to reach out to other TCs and PCs with common technical interests (LTA, ADS, and Gossamer PC) and plan for substantive technical interchange. Provide the focal point for information exchange for ballooning The TC continues to facilitate submissions and awards for the bi-annual Otto C. Winzen Award.

8. Working to Increase Public Awareness Low cost access to near space providing NASA Science Flights with large observatories launched at a fraction of the cost of space missions and cutting edge science Balloons are being used for wireless data communications in geographic regions that are not served or are poorly served by existing wireless technologies and services There are active programs for using balloons to provide near space communications systems for DOD and Homeland Security efforts Planetary Ballooning – Design and testing efforts are ongoing for placing balloons on other bodies in our solar system (Mars, Venus, Titan, and more!) Planetary entry system testing

9. Balloon Programs Serving the Science Community Low cost access to near space Expanding the flight capabilities Providing communication and support for commercial, DOD, and Homeland Security applications Reaching beyond Earth to other bodies in the Solar System