Breitling Orbiter
Encyclopedia
Breitling Orbiter was the name of three different Rozière balloon
s made by Cameron Balloons
to circumnavigate the globe, named after the sponsor Breitling
. The first two balloons never completed the circumnavigation, while the third made a successful attempt in March 1999 thereby reaching the milestone of the first nonstop flight around the world by balloon.
Breitling Orbiter 3 was the first balloon
to fly around the world non-stop, piloted by Bertrand Piccard
and Brian Jones
. Designed and built by Cameron Balloons
, of Bristol
, England
, Breitling Orbiter 3 stood 55 m (180 ft) tall when fully inflated. The propane gas that fueled the six burners was contained in 28 titanium cylinders mounted in two rows along the sides of the gondola. Concerned about fuel consumption, the team added four additional propane containers prior to take-off; these additional four tanks were needed to complete the trip.
The gondola is located at the National Air and Space Museum
, on display in the Milestones of Flight Gallery, while the envelope was displayed at the Gasometer Oberhausen
from 2004-2006.
Alpine
village of Château-d'Oex at 8:05, GMT, March 1, 1999. They landed in the Egypt
ian desert 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes later on March 21, 1999, having traveled a distance of 40,814 km (25,361 mi). During the course of the trip, the balloon had climbed to altitudes of up to 11,373 m (37,313 ft), and achieved a maximum speed of 161 knots.
The daily routine called for each man to spend eight hours alone at the controls; eight hours working with his crewmate; and eight hours in the single bunk
. A unique pressure-operated toilet
was included in a curtained off area at the rear of the craft. In spite of heaters designed to maintain a more comfortable 15°C (59°F), cabin temperatures occasionally fell so low that drinking water froze and ice had to be carefully chipped away from delicate electronic circuitry on the interior walls.
On the morning of Monday, March 22, 1999, The Washington Post
carried a front page feature article, Earthbound but on Cloud Nine, describing the trip and the successful conclusion of the flight the day before. When asked by reporter Howard Schneider about the fate of Breitling Orbiter 3, project manager Alan Noble remarked that the sponsors and the team "...would probably donate the craft to a museum. Possibly the National Air and Space Museum or the Smithsonian." these words would later become fact. The gondola of the orbiter now resides on the ground floor of the National Air and Space Museum in the Milestones of Flight Gallery, next to other legendary aircraft - The Wright Brothers
1903 Flyer
, Charles Lindbergh's
Spirit of St. Louis
, the Mercury Friendship 7 capsule, the Gemini IV capsule
, the Apollo 11 command module
, and Space Ship One. The envelope was temporarily on display at the Gasometer Oberhausen
in 2004-2006, with a mock-up gondola.
, which combines the features of a hot-air balloon and a gas balloon
, with a helium
cell within the hot-air envelope. Initially, the helium cell is filled to approximately 47% of its maximum capacity. During ascent, the drop in atmospheric pressure and the expansion of gas due to the effect of the sun make the helium increase in volume and the balloon thus gains altitude.
and carbon fiber
material. After take-off the cabin was sealed at 1,800 m (6,000 ft) to trap the air within it. During the flight the cabin atmosphere was supplemented by nitrogen
and oxygen
; the carbon dioxide
was removed by lithium hydroxide
filters. Cabin pressure was maintained at around 3.5 psi by adding oxygen and nitrogen to the cabin air, as necessary. At 10,000 m (33,000 ft), the cabin pressure equaled the atmospheric pressure
at 3,000 m (10,000 ft). Solar panel
s suspended beneath the gondola recharged the onboard lead-acid batteries that provided electrical power. Satellite-based systems enabled the crew to navigate via GPS
as well as communicate.
Rozière balloon
The Rozière balloon is a type of hybrid balloon that has separate chambers for a non-heated lifting gas as well as a heated lifting gas...
s made by Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city...
to circumnavigate the globe, named after the sponsor Breitling
Breitling
Breitling is a luxury brand of Swiss watches produced by Breitling SA, a private company headquartered in Grenchen, Canton of Solothurn . The company exclusively offered Certified Chronometers in all models since 2000...
. The first two balloons never completed the circumnavigation, while the third made a successful attempt in March 1999 thereby reaching the milestone of the first nonstop flight around the world by balloon.
Breitling Orbiter 3
 Breitling Orbiter 3 side view |
|
Balloon |
|
|---|---|
| Height: | 55 m (180 ft) inflated |
| Fuel: | Propane Propane Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central... |
| Type: | Rozier balloon |
| Model: | Cameron R-650 |
Gondola |
|
| Height: | 3.1 m (10 ft 3 in) |
| Length: | 5.4 m (17 ft 10 in) |
| Weight: | 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) empty |
| Material: | Kevlar Kevlar Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires... and carbon fiber Carbon fiber Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber... composite weave |
| Cabin Air: | nitrogen-oxygen mixture |
| Cabin Pressure: | 3.5 psi at altitude |
| Manufacturer: | Cameron Balloons Cameron Balloons Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city... , 1998 |
| Location: | Gondola: National Air and Space Museum National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and... , Milestones of Flight Gallery |
 Breitling Orbiter 3 end view |
|
Breitling Orbiter 3 was the first balloon
Balloon
A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
to fly around the world non-stop, piloted by Bertrand Piccard
Bertrand Piccard
Bertrand Piccard is a Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist.Born in Lausanne, Vaud canton, Bertrand Piccard, along with Brian Jones, was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe...
and Brian Jones
Brian Jones (aeronaut)
Brian Jones is an English balloonist.Brian Jones, along with Bertrand Piccard, co-piloted the first successful uninterrupted circumnavigation of the world on board the balloon Breitling Orbiter 3...
. Designed and built by Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city...
, of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Breitling Orbiter 3 stood 55 m (180 ft) tall when fully inflated. The propane gas that fueled the six burners was contained in 28 titanium cylinders mounted in two rows along the sides of the gondola. Concerned about fuel consumption, the team added four additional propane containers prior to take-off; these additional four tanks were needed to complete the trip.
The gondola is located at the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
, on display in the Milestones of Flight Gallery, while the envelope was displayed at the Gasometer Oberhausen
Gasometer Oberhausen
The Oberhausen gasometer, the largest disc-type gas holder in Europe, is an industrial monument located in Oberhausen, Germany. It was constructed between 1927 and 1929. Today it is an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and serves as an exhibition hall...
from 2004-2006.
The trip
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones took off from the SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Alpine
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
village of Château-d'Oex at 8:05, GMT, March 1, 1999. They landed in the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian desert 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes later on March 21, 1999, having traveled a distance of 40,814 km (25,361 mi). During the course of the trip, the balloon had climbed to altitudes of up to 11,373 m (37,313 ft), and achieved a maximum speed of 161 knots.
The daily routine called for each man to spend eight hours alone at the controls; eight hours working with his crewmate; and eight hours in the single bunk
Bunk
Bunk may refer to:* bunk , absurd, ridiculous, nonsense, wikt:Bunkum * Bunk , truancy, to "play hookey", to "cut" or "skip" class* Bunk bed, a type of bed in which one bed is stacked over another...
. A unique pressure-operated toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
was included in a curtained off area at the rear of the craft. In spite of heaters designed to maintain a more comfortable 15°C (59°F), cabin temperatures occasionally fell so low that drinking water froze and ice had to be carefully chipped away from delicate electronic circuitry on the interior walls.
On the morning of Monday, March 22, 1999, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
carried a front page feature article, Earthbound but on Cloud Nine, describing the trip and the successful conclusion of the flight the day before. When asked by reporter Howard Schneider about the fate of Breitling Orbiter 3, project manager Alan Noble remarked that the sponsors and the team "...would probably donate the craft to a museum. Possibly the National Air and Space Museum or the Smithsonian." these words would later become fact. The gondola of the orbiter now resides on the ground floor of the National Air and Space Museum in the Milestones of Flight Gallery, next to other legendary aircraft - The Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
1903 Flyer
Wright Flyer
The Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S...
, Charles Lindbergh's
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
Spirit of St. Louis
Spirit of St. Louis
The Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt...
, the Mercury Friendship 7 capsule, the Gemini IV capsule
Gemini 4
Gemini 4 was the second manned space flight in NASA's Project Gemini, occurring in June 1965. It was the tenth manned American spaceflight . Astronauts James McDivitt and Edward H. White, II circled the Earth 66 times in four days, making it the first US flight to approach the five-day flight of...
, the Apollo 11 command module
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
, and Space Ship One. The envelope was temporarily on display at the Gasometer Oberhausen
Gasometer Oberhausen
The Oberhausen gasometer, the largest disc-type gas holder in Europe, is an industrial monument located in Oberhausen, Germany. It was constructed between 1927 and 1929. Today it is an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and serves as an exhibition hall...
in 2004-2006, with a mock-up gondola.
The balloon
The Breitling Orbiter 3 was a Rozière balloonRozière balloon
The Rozière balloon is a type of hybrid balloon that has separate chambers for a non-heated lifting gas as well as a heated lifting gas...
, which combines the features of a hot-air balloon and a gas balloon
Gas balloon
A gas balloon is any balloon that stays aloft due to being filled with a gas less dense than air or lighter than air . A gas balloon may also be called a Charlière for its inventor, the Frenchman Jacques Charles. Today, familiar gas balloons include large blimps and small rubber party balloons...
, with a helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
cell within the hot-air envelope. Initially, the helium cell is filled to approximately 47% of its maximum capacity. During ascent, the drop in atmospheric pressure and the expansion of gas due to the effect of the sun make the helium increase in volume and the balloon thus gains altitude.
The gondola
The Breitling Orbiter 3 gondola was constructed of a weave of KevlarKevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
and carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
material. After take-off the cabin was sealed at 1,800 m (6,000 ft) to trap the air within it. During the flight the cabin atmosphere was supplemented by nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
; the carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
was removed by lithium hydroxide
Lithium hydroxide
Lithium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula LiOH. It is a white hygroscopic crystalline material. It is soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol...
filters. Cabin pressure was maintained at around 3.5 psi by adding oxygen and nitrogen to the cabin air, as necessary. At 10,000 m (33,000 ft), the cabin pressure equaled the atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
at 3,000 m (10,000 ft). Solar panel
Photovoltaic module
A solar panel is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells...
s suspended beneath the gondola recharged the onboard lead-acid batteries that provided electrical power. Satellite-based systems enabled the crew to navigate via GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
as well as communicate.