The balloon’s flight was terminated last week for safety reasons after it developed a leak, the ABC reported.
A NASA statement said the pumpkin-shaped balloon was made from 9 hectares of material and was as large as a football stadium when fully inflated.
NASA’s balloon program chief Debbie Fairbrother said the balloon flew for 32 days, its most demanding test yet.
“The balloon accomplished what no other heavy lift balloon has done by maintaining a constant float altitude for a long duration in the harsh conditions of the Earth’s stratosphere,” she said.
NASA’s scientific balloons can fly payloads weighing up to 3,600 kilograms for conducting scientific investigations in fields such as astrophysics and atmospheric research, the broadcaster said.
You can read more about NASA’s scientific balloon program here.
Originally published by Cosmos as NASA super balloon touches down in remote outback Queensland
Bill Condie
Bill Condie is a science journalist based in Adelaide, Australia.
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