A solar powered hot air balloon is disclosed having an envelope with an opaque portion and a transparent portion arranged so as to utilize solar heating to heat air within the envelope. The solar heating air may either by sufficient to provide the entire free lift or may be combined with air from a hot air generating system carried by a gondola supported by the envelope. The opaque portion of the envelope has a substantially black inner surface and a light reflecting outer surface with the black inner surface being positioned so as to receive a maximum amount of sunlight through the transparent portion for a given average position of the sun.
A hot air balloon envelope (11) of the type having a downwardly-directed bottom opening (12) and characterized by being formed of a multiplicity of elongate gores (26) joined along adjacent sides, each of the gores being formed of a multiplicity of joined-together individual fabric panels (30). The improvement comprises at least one observation window (40) positioned in the upper hemisphere of the envelope in substitution for an envelope panel and having a size and transparency sufficient to permit an occupant of a balloon carriage (20) suspended from the envelope to look upwardly through the bottom opening and the observation window to view large objects, such as other balloons in the vicinity above the balloon envelope and not otherwise visible from the balloon carriage.
The invention relates to an aerostat of the double balloon type intended to travel in an autonomous and reversible manner between the ground of a planet having an atmosphere and a predetermined ceiling altitude. This aerostat is of the type comprising a first closed carrier balloon (1) for containing a gas lighter than the gas present in the atmosphere, and a solar hot air balloon (3) comprising a permanent opening (6) permitting its filling by the gas present in the atmosphere. According to the invention the solar hot air balloon is provided at its upper extremity with an opening defined by an annular border, and means for sealingly securing this annular border to the peripheral wall of the carrier balloon (1), such that said carrier balloon extends partially into the interior of the envelope of the hot air balloon (3).
A solar powered hot air balloon with a maneuvering system is disclosed. The balloon is formed of an envelope with an opaque portion and a transparent portion arranged so as to utilize solar heating to heat air within the envelope. The opaque portion of the envelope has a substantially black inner surface and a light reflecting outer surface with the black inner surface being positioned so as to receive a maximum amount of sunlight through the transparent portion for a given location of the sun. Ascent and descent maneuvering is accomplished by changing the rotational position of the balloon relative to the position of the sun so that more or less portions of the black inner surface receive sunlight to thus generate heating within the envelope. The maneuvering system includes a pair of propulsion units positioned on opposite sides of the balloon. In one embodiment, two light sensors may be provided which are connected to a control unit. The control unit either manually or automatically selectively activates the propulsion units depending upon the amount of light received by the respective sensor units. In another embodiment, a plurality of light sensors are spaced around the balloon at angular increments. Respective pairs of sensor elements are activated corresponding to desired angles of rotational position for the balloon so that the amount of sunlight received by the inner block surface can be varied so as to control ascent and descent.
A vehicle for the exploration of the atmosphere comprising an infra-red and olar montgolfier (hot-air balloon) capable of being piloted reversibly. The vehicle comprises a gas-tight envelope in which the upper part of the envelope is either transparent to or slightly absorbent of infra-red radiation, the outer face of the upper part of the envelope is slightly emissive in the infra-red region of radiation and the inner face of the upper part absorbs infra-red radiation so that ascending forces which act on the montgolfier are only obtained as a result of the heating of the gas contained in the envelope which is produced by the absorption of infra-red radiation.
The present invention provides an imitation lighter-than-air craft envelope assembly for use in conjunction with an attached imitation gondola. The assembly comprises an inflatable gas bag capable of containing a gas, and an imitation envelope which surrounds the gas bag. The imitation envelope simulates an actual lighter-than-air craft envelope when the gas bag is inflated within the envelope.
