In an upset of astronomical proportions, the Super Pressure Balloon (SPB) project soared through a field of 64 entries to be voted NASA’s “Greatest Mission of All Time,” in the space program’s Mission Madness tournament, modeled on NCAA “March Madness.” In the final round, completed late Tuesday, SPB beat out the venerable and groundbreaking SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) by a 54-46% margin.
SPB employs new technology to add longevity and stability to balloon-borne scientific missions (see my description below, based on a discussion with SPB’s technical director). It provides important cost savings in lofting payloads to the edge of space that otherwise would have to be borne by orbiting satellites. But I’m flabbergasted that this development-stage project was voted NASA’s greatest mission ever, particularly as I have yet to meet anyone outside of NASA who had even heard of SPB before this contest.
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