Global Atmosphere-Ocean IN-situ System (GAINS) Project
Introduction
Global Atmosphere-Ocean IN-situ System, GAINS, is a long-duration platform, instrumented for environmental sensing through a combination of dropsondes, XBTs, in-situ sensors, and remote sensors. Designed as a 110-ft diameter superpressure vehicle carrying a payload of 500 pounds for year-long flights at 65,000 ft, GAINS is targeted to meet NOAA's observing and monitoring mission in the next century. By 2025 a network of 400 balloons is envisioned to be operating globally.
GAINS is a major change in concept over the Shear-Directed Balloon (SDB) project. SDB represented development toward a recoverable, reusable global sounding system to be operated in the troposphere. GAINS, in contrast, is a stratospheric vehicle, much closer to a near-earth-orbit satellite than a conventional sounding balloon.
Prototype III (PIII) implements the GAINS concept. A flight of the PIII instrument was made on Jan. 24, 1998 in collaboration with the Physical Science Laboratory of New Mexico State University.
GAINS project manager is Russ Chadwick. Chief Engineer for the PIII instrument package is Robert Anderson of Basic Automation. Chief Engineer for the PIII superpressure balloon is Tim Lachenmeier of Near Space Corp.
Project Reports
Overview
Concept Trajectories Publications
Personnel Plans
Photos Animations Experiments
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