20
T H E B I G S PA C E
B A L LO O N
? ? SPACE BALLOON? ???????????????????????????????????
engagement and the project if all goes well, the project is still cells printed onto the fabric, or
will offer people the chance to in its early stages so the main flexible photovoltaic strips comsee them selves at the edge of focus at the moment is on the
bined with the polythene strips,
space with the “Face in Space
fund raising and increasing public a UK company Eight19 are cur-
Competition”.
awareness of the project which rently developing these type of
The free to enter competition
in-turn will lead to a main sponsor. solar cells.
offers up to 10,000 members of
Stratospheric Balloon Technology
Plastic (polymer) solar cells are
the public the chance to have a
Most large stratospheric bal-
much cheaper to produce than
mini-image of themselves printed
loons are made from a light-
conventional silicon solar cells
onto the science capsule, to be
weight polythene usually around and have the potential to be pro-
photographed at the edge of
20-30 microns thick, NASA and the
space with the latest in high-def-
Japanese have experimented with
Experts from the University
inition cameras.
composite polythene’s which can
of Sheffield’s Department of
We have already started to be as thin as 5 microns. The Big
Physics and Astronomy and the
duced in large quantities.
receive 100’s of entrants from
Space Balloon is aiming to use a University of Cambridge have
around the world.
polythene based fabric of around
created a method of spray-coat-
30 microns thick, this will either
ing a photovoltaic active layer by
in the summer / autumn of 2015 have flexible solar photovoltaic
an air based process – similar to
The balloon could be launched
ICY SCIENCE | WINTER 2013- 2014