Table II shows the balloons which have been purchased from those manufacturers who expressed an interest in the problem.
Company
Film type, thickness, diameter, shape
Special Features
Unit Cost
Delivered to date
H. A. Smith Coatings, Inc.
.004 Polyethylene 3 feet diameter spherical
Proto-type
$150.00
4
H. A. Smith Coatings, Inc.
.008 Polyethylene 15 feet diameter spherical
Low Permeability
$530.00
5
H.A. Smith Coatings, Inc.
.004 Polyethylene 15 feet diameter spherical
Low Permeability
$530.00
5
General Mills, Inc.
.001 Polyethylene 7 feet diameter Teardrop.
Stressed tape type seam
$20.00
25
General Mills, Inc.
.001 Polyethylene 20 feet diameter Teardrop.
Stressed tape type seam
$125.00
47
Dewey & Almy Chemical Co.
A spherical nylon cloth shroud around a neoprene balloon.
$339.00
2
Table II is based upon final or modified orders in those cases where the rapid progress of flight technique rendered certain features obsolete before the balloons on order were delivered.
Figure 1 shows the spherical balloon as originally designed. This type of balloon was made of .004 and .008 inch, heat-sealed, polyethylene. It had several good characteristics, such as very low leakage, but the method of load attachment furnished by H.A. Smith, Inc., was not satisfactory. Of the six balloons of this type which were used, two ripped free from the shroud lines during launching.
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