B-Line to Space: The Scientific Balloon Story

Editor’s Note: The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility is now managed by Peraton. B-Line to Space: The Scientific Balloon Story is about NASA’s scientific balloons, which offer low-cost, near-space access for suspended payloads weighing up to 8,000 pounds. These balloons are used to conduct technology demonstration tests as well as scientific investigations in fields such as astrophysics, heliophysics and atmospheric research. Depending on the goals and objectives of a specific mission, balloon flight durations can run hours to multiple days or weeks for longer-term exposures and data collection. NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia manages the agency’s Scientific Balloon Program with 10 to 15 flights each year from launch sites worldwide. Northrop Grumman, which operates NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Texas, provides mission planning, engineering services and field operations for the program. The CSBF team has launched more than 1,700 scientific balloons in the over 35 years of operation. For more information on NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program, visit: To follow along with the missions, visit NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility’s website at for real-time updates of a balloon’s altitude and GPS location during flight.