Antarctic science balloon smashes flight mark

TIGER balloon filling with helium before one of its aerial marathons.

By Richard Stenger
CNN Sci-Tech

(CNN) -- A scientific balloon as thin as plastic wrap and taller than the Washington Monument set a new flight record after floating around the South Pole twice in one month.

The unmanned helium balloon skirted the edge of space and collected data about cosmic rays, atomic particles that constantly bombard Earth at nearly the speed of light, NASA researchers said.

The billowing experiment floated 8,800 miles (14,000 kilometers) around the perimeter of Antarctica before landing January 21, almost 32 days after it departed from McMurdo Station, a permanent scientific outpost on the continent.

"We routinely have long-duration balloons that float for up to two weeks, but to have one flight last for over 31 days is very rewarding," said Steve Smith, NASA flight engineer for the Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (TIGER) experiment.

Flying at an altitude of 125,000 feet (38,000 meters), the TIGER equipment basked in the cosmic rays to measure the abundance of various elemental particles.

"This will enable us to determine whether the cosmic-ray source is hot or cold, gas or solid," said TIGER scientist Robert Binns of the Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.

Hoisting the two-ton TIGER high into the sky required extraordinary engineering skill.

Made of extremely thin polyethylene material, the balloon stood higher than 555 feet (168 meters) and expanded to more than 424 feet (129 meters) in diameter.

The balloon touched down 284 miles (454 kilometers) away from McMurdo Station and scientists are working to recover the data, NASA said.

The previous mark for a long-endurance balloon flight was set in January 2001 from McMurdo, which is situated near the Ross Ice Shelf on the most southerly solid ground accessible to ships. That flight completed one orbit of the South Pole and lasted 26 days.