GLOSSARY
Altitude Sensitivity: The altitude gained by a balloon when its load is reduced by one kilogram.
Balloon Inflation: Gas inflation to be given the balloon in terms of initial lift of the balloon (equals weight of equipment load plus free lift plus allowance for gas losses before launching).
Ceiling: The locus of pressure altitudes at which a non-extensible balloon will float when gas losses are slightly over-compensated for by ballast losses.
Equipment Load: Weight of all equipment, rigging, and ballast hung from the balloon shrouds not including balloon or its integral parts.
Floor: The locus of altitudes at which a balloon will float when lift losses are exactly compensated for on a demand basis by ballast dropping. In practice, this is determined by the operation of the automatic ballast release and is some altitude below the ceiling.
Free Lift: Net lift of the balloon with the equipment load attached.
Gross Lift: Lift of all of the gas in the balloon at release (equals weight of the balloon, equipment load plus the free lift).
Gross Load: Load on the gas at release (balloon plus equipment load weight).
Pressure Altitude: The altitude at which a non-extensible balloon becomes fully inflated.
Pressure Height: The height above mean sea level as determined from pressure measurements used in this work with the N. A. C. A. Standard Atmosphere.
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