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US 2023/0415880 A1Published application
Aerospace balloon system and method of operation
AssigneeSpace Perspective Inc.
InventorTaber MacCallum
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A balloon system, preferably including a balloon and a payload. A balloon, preferably including a plurality of gores, a plurality of load members, and an apex fitting. A method of balloon system operation, preferably including deflating a balloon, and optionally including operating the balloon system in flight and/or landing the balloon system.
Claims1
A system comprising:
- a balloon comprising first balloon portion and a second balloon portion;
- and
- an apex fitting comprising a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of
- the apex fitting connected to an apex end of the first balloon portion;
- wherein, in a partially-inflated configuration of the system:
- the second balloon portion is mechanically connected to the first balloon portion via the second portion of the apex fitting and the apex fitting maintains a tension between the first and second balloon portions;
- wherein the apex fitting is operable to transition the system from the partially-inflated configuration to a deflated configuration by:
- mechanically disconnecting the first portion of the apex fitting from the second portion of the apex fitting to release the tension.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.