Winzen Research
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Balloon manufacturing |
| Founded | 1950s |
| Founder | Otto C. Winzen |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota , United States |
Key people | Otto C. Winzen, Vera Simons (vice president) |
| Products | Balloons, gondolas |
Winzen Research Inc, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specialized in balloon production throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Their balloons were utilized by the United States Navy in projects such as Helios, Skyhook, and Strato-Lab. Additionally, the company provided balloon technology to the United States Air Force for Project Manhigh and the secretive reconnaissance operation Moby Dick, which conducted surveillance over the Soviet Union.
The firm was founded by Otto C. Winzen, who was instrumental in developing polyethylene resin for plastic balloons. This innovation drastically lowered the weight compared to traditional rubber balloons. Polyethylene offered advantages including lightness, affordability, and resistance to ultraviolet radiation. Winzen perfected production techniques that enabled the creation of balloon films thinner than a single human hair.
Otto Winzen and his wife, Vera Simons, launched the company with financial support from their family. Simons owned more than two-thirds of the business and acted as vice president. She managed and trained her team—referred to as "balloon girls"—in the specialized processes of handling polyethylene and assembling large-scale balloons.
In addition to balloons, Winzen Research engineered and manufactured gondolas. The company supplied both components for the 1961 Strato-Lab V mission, which achieved a new altitude record for manned balloon flights. The polyethylene balloon featured an envelope with a thickness measuring only , and a volume of , expanding to a diameter of when fully inflated—making it the largest successfully launched balloon at that time. The gondola incorporated an innovative temperature regulation system using venetian blinds with alternating light and dark surfaces to control cabin climate. The entire assembly—including balloon, parachute, gondola, and trailing antenna—reached an approximate height of .