Balloon
Three possible companies were researched in deciding on which type of balloon to buy. Kaymont, Kaysam, and Raven Ind. were contacted. Kaymont offered what we were looking for, with a balloon that would carry at least 12 pounds up to an altitude of over 100,000 feet. Kaysam produces meteorological ballons and responded that they did not carry a balloon that would carry 12 pounds and they did not know of a company that did. Raven Ind. is a producer of large balloons and they were the most helpful. They had a project engineer do a search to see what type of balloon would best suite our project. Raven Ind. was too expensive though to use their balloon. We chose to go with the Kaymont KCI2000 Sounding balloon.
Balloon Nozzle
The balloon nozzle consists of various components found in any plumbing section of a hardware store. Our balloon had a 2 inch opening; therefore we used a 2 inch female adaptor. This was reduced down to ½ inch by using two bushings, 2 inch to 1 inch and 1 inch to ½ inch. Then a ½ inch nipple connected the ball valve. Once the filling of the balloon was completed and the valve was closed, a ½ inch plug was inserted. The plug was modified by inserting a ¼ inch eyebolt to the end. This was to be used to attach the balloon to the parachute. Every thread was taped with Teflon to prevent leaking and a clamp ring was used to hold the female adaptor to the balloon.
Helium
The helium for the balloons was purchased from a local party rental store. Tanks of various sizes could be rented for five days up to several weeks, depending on the store. Reservations or notice was needed ahead of time.
Gloves
Gloves are required to handle the balloon because of the Latex materials.