( CNN ) -- Exploring the heavens with spaceships and fancy orbiting telescopes like the Hubble is pretty routine stuff for NASA . But the space agency is going low-tech to get a good look at an eagerly anticipated comet . The space agency plans to launch a balloon -- yes , a balloon -- to study Comet ISON , the much-hyped comet that many hope will put on a big sky show in coming months . Astronomers are scrambling to figure out ways to learn more about the comet , and that 's where the balloon comes in . This is n't the kind of balloon you buy for kids at a party store , but they do have some things in common . NASA says its scientific balloons are made of polyethylene film like the material in plastic bags , and it will be filled with helium , just like a party balloon . But the NASA balloons can carry a payload weighing 8,000 pounds ( 3,600 kilograms ) , or about the weight of three small cars . It has a gondola to carry the instruments . Some similar balloons can fly up to 26 miles high and stay for up to two weeks . The 671-foot-tall balloon that will monitor ISON is called BRRISON , or Balloon Rapid Response for ISON . According to NASA , it will float about 120,000 feet above Earth to observe the comet -- and other science targets -- using a telescope and other instruments . It is expected to stay up from nine to 11 hours . `` By ascending above 99.5 % of the Earth 's atmosphere , BRRISON will be able to study the materials within the comet , '' Andy Cheng , principal investigator , said on BRISSON 's website . `` It 's possible that water and organic chemicals on comets may have played an important role in the evolution of life on Earth . '' The launch , from NASA 's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner , New Mexico , is targeted for 8 p.m . ET on Saturday , weather permitting . Comet ISON is nearing Mars on its way toward the sun and will fly about 730,000 miles above the sun 's surface on November 8 . If it survives , it could brighten and put on a big show as it passes Earth 's orbit on its way back to the outer reaches of the solar system . Comet enthusiasts hope they will be able to see it without binoculars or telescopes . Its closest approach to Earth would be December 26 , and it could be visible from the Northern Hemisphere for weeks in early 2014 . Things to know about Comet ISON . The comet was discovered by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok in September 2012 . It is named after their night-sky survey program , the International Scientific Optical Network , a group of observatories in 10 countries organized to track objects in space . Amateur astronomers already are posting pictures and making calculations about the comet 's future . For those who want to try to track Comet ISON themselves , NASA has some tips on its Comet ISON website .
A giant NASA balloon is being used to get a good look at Comet ISON . The balloon will rise to 120,000 feet . Comet ISON could put on show this winter .