Google's Internet-beaming Balloons
Google is testing the balloons which sail in the stratosphere and beam the Internet to Earth.
WHAT? The helium-filled balloons are made from a thin polyethylene film and are 15 meters (49 feet) in diameter when fully inflated.
Photo: A fully inflated test balloon sits in a hangar at Moffett Field airfield, Calif.
WHERE? They float in the stratosphere about 20 kilometers (12 miles) above the Earth.
Photo: A Google balloon sails through the air with the Southern Alps mountains in the background, in Tekapo, New Zealand.
HOW? The balloons would sail on the stratosphere’s winds in a continuous circuit around the globe. The balloons come equipped with flight computers, and Google would control the balloons’ altitude from the ground, keeping them moving along a desired channel by using different winds at different heights.
Photo: A Google team releases a balloon in Tekapo, New Zealand. Google is testing the balloons which sail in the stratosphere and beam the Internet to Earth.
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WHAT? The helium-filled balloons are made from a thin polyethylene film and are 15 meters (49 feet) in diameter when fully inflated.
Photo: A fully inflated test balloon sits in a hangar at Moffett Field airfield, Calif.
WHERE? They float in the stratosphere about 20 kilometers (12 miles) above the Earth.
Photo: A Google balloon sails through the air with the Southern Alps mountains in the background, in Tekapo, New Zealand.
HOW? The balloons would sail on the stratosphere’s winds in a continuous circuit around the globe. The balloons come equipped with flight computers, and Google would control the balloons’ altitude from the ground, keeping them moving along a desired channel by using different winds at different heights.
Photo: A Google team releases a balloon in Tekapo, New Zealand. Google is testing the balloons which sail in the stratosphere and beam the Internet to Earth.
Continue…
