Telescopes May Ride Giant Balloons to Better See the Stars

A giant balloon could forever change the way astronomers look at the stars. Christopher Walker, an astronomy professor and professor of optical sciences and electrical engineering at the University of Arizona, won Phase 2 funding from the program two years ago and is now seeing his concept come to life. The balloon would consist of an inflatable, half-aluminized spherical reflector inside a much larger stratospheric balloon.