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This
shows the balloon about 1 minute after the beginning
of inflation. The top plate is still being held
down by two NSBF staff members (notice the two large
valves, used to help control float altitude).
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|
The
balloon is pictured about 15 minutes after the beginning
of inflation. The sun is shining through the thin
balloon material; one of the two helium fill lines
arcs across the foreground.
|
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| The
large metal spool that was holding the balloon down
has just been released, and the inflated "bubble"
begins to rise. Note that the balloon is inflated
to less than 1% of its total volume, to allow for
expansion during ascent. |
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| Balloon
Rising. A few seconds after the spool was released,
the balloon continues skyward. The arc descending
from the bubble is uninflated balloon material.
|
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| The
moment of truth. The jaws of the launch vehicle ("Tiny
Tim") have just opened, releasing the gondola.
|
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| A
few seconds after release, the gondola nicely floated
past the setting Texas sun. |
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| The
MSAM crew back in the highbay. Gondola control and
real-time data analysis are performed here. This picture
was taken about 1 hour into ascent, while the balloon
is passing through the tropopause.
|
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| Descent.
This picture was taken from the chase plane, and shows
the gondola coming down on its parachute. |
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| The
gondola has just landed (small bright object below
parachute). In the next second, the parachute is separated
from the package by a radio-fired squib. |
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| And
this is what we call a gentle landing! The 4-layer
cardboard wheel was one of the gondola crushpads,
intended to absorb most of the kinetic energy of the
payload upon landing. You can see the gondola sheared
off the crushpad after touchdown; however, it did
not topple over. |
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| No
problem dude. |
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