Launch Day

May 10, 2019

At 7:45 am, students began setting up the site. Tables and chairs were moved to pre-determined locations. Instead of using a canopy to help students be able to see their computer screens, this year we set-up a table in the shade in front of a nearby building (B-Building). Students had no problems seeing their screen. There was also an outlet nearby that was used so we would not have to worry about the laptop's battery failing during the mission. A tarp was laid out for the balloon, as balloon holders put on latex gloves. The helium tank was safely placed by the balloon and the inflation device was attached. As the balloon was being inflated, students worked in teams to place all of the equipment in the boxes. At this point, Mr. Brode called four airports to notify them that we were going to launch the balloon in 30 minutes. This was a request made by the FAA. He also had to call the airports back 15 minutes before the launch. We made sure that all of the electronic equipment was fully charged and plugged into the battery chargers in the boxes. We also did not turn the electronics until it was necessary. Projection teams used computers to make last minute predictions of the landing location. Their predictions still had the balloon landing west of Hanover. A HAM radio was used to confirm that the tracking device was working. The projection team determined the amount of helium that we would need to reach 100,000 ft using the "burst calculator". They reported that we would need 214 cubic feet of helium. The tank is suppose to contain 220 cubic feet of helium. We ran out of helium before reaching the amount needed to lift the balloon at the proper ascension rate. There was no way to get more helium so the balloon was tied and the payload train was attached to the balloon. Everything was ready to go.

An announcement was made and many classes came out to watch the launch. The balloon with all of the attached equipment was slowly raised until the last box was in hand. Students counted down from ten and then released the balloon. The balloon rose vertically until it ventured into a cloud. During the set-up, the skies were almost completely clear. By the launch time, some clouds had crept in. After the launch, students tracked the balloon on the aprs.fi website. It was now time for the recovery adventure to begin.