10 balloons flights to be launched from Hyderabad by TIFR for scientific studies

HYDERABAD: The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Government of India will launch 10-balloon flights from Hyderabad for the purpose of conducting scientific studies. TIFR has also requested the public to provide information on where the parachutes with instruments will land so that scientists can come and collect them.
The first balloon flight will be launched this month and continue up to April 30. The balloons filled with hydrogen gas and the scientific instruments will be launched in association with the Department of Atomic Energy and ISRO by the Balloon Facility of TIFR at ECIL in the city.
The facility scientific in-charge B Suneel Kumar informed that the balloons are made of thin (polyethylene) plastic films, ranging in diameters from 50 meters to 85 meters. The balloons are normally launched between 8 pm and 6.30 am.
The balloons, which carry up scientific instruments for research at high altitudes, are expected to reach heights between 30 km and 42 km depending upon the experiments being undertaken. The instruments will be kept at these heights for periods ranging from a few to 10 hours and then they will be released from the balloon. After release, the instruments will come down to ground on large coloured parachutes.
Suneel Kumar said during ascent and at ceiling, the balloons will drift in the prevailing winds and the instruments, may, therefore, land at points as distant as about 200 to 350 kms from Hyderabad. The balloon drifts will be on the Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad-Sholapur line, in the areas of Andhra Pradesh, North Karnataka and Maharashtra States.
The expected regions of impact of the payload after release from the balloon include Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Hyderabad, Jagtial, Jangoan, Jayshankar Bhupalpally, Jogulamba Gadwal, Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kumuram Bheem, Mahabubabad, Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Medak, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Rajanna Sircilla, Rangareddy, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Suryapet, Vikarabad, Wanaparthy, Warangal, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts of Telangana.
"The parachute with the instruments suspended underneath it, on a long rope, about 20 to 40 meters in length, will usually come down to the ground quite slowly," the scientist in-charge said.
Suneel Kumar appealed to the public who find the parachute and instruments not to remove them from the place of landing and to telephone or sent a telegram to the address which will be given on various packages. "There may be high voltages on some of the instruments, which will be dangerous, but only if the instruments are opened, up. Otherwise they are safe and harmless," he informed.