Details of the balloon and launch operations
Launch site: Meteorological Research Institute, Baurú, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Launch team: CNES
Balloon: Open balloon model 3SF (heavy payload and short duration) 3.000 m3
Serial number: -
Flight identification number: -
Campaign: HIBISCUS
Payload weight: -
Gondola weight: -
Overall weight: -
The SF1 balloon was launched from Bauru, Brazil (22.36 S, 49.02 W) at 20:24 UT (17:24 local time) on 16th February 2004.
The balloon reached an altitude of 20.5 km at sunset followed by a 6 hour very slow night time descent in a SW direction down to 15.8 km where it was cut down close to the border with Parana.
The payload landed about 50 km west of Ourinhos, approximately 70 km from Bauru after a total flight time of 7 hours 21 minutes.
Description of the payload or experiment
DESCARTES (SLS version) + CNR-ISAC LABS + CNRS-CETP AIRS electric field and lightning sensor + micro-DIRAC GC + SAW hygrometer/SS ozone sensor + TDLAS tuneable diode laser system for H2O
Responsable institution: SA/CNRS - Cambridge University
Principal Investigator: J.P. Pommereau
The balloon was carrying a DESCARTES grab sampling instrument for halocarbon measurement (University of Cambridge).
Six halocarbon samples were taken during the ascent but unfortunately a pneumatic failure prevented any sampling during the slow descent.
Attached to DESCARTES was a LABS cloud/aerosol particle back-scatter sonde (ENEA & CNR-ISAC) which made excellent measurements.
Also on the flight train was the AIRS electric field and lightning sensor (CNRS-CETP), a test flight version of the Micro-Dirac halocarbon gas chromatograph (University of Cambridge), an optical cloud particle counter (UMIST) and a SAW hygrometer (University of Cambridge).
At the end of the flight train was a TDLAS tuneable diode laser system for H2O (NPL) to which was attached a solid state sensor for ozone (University of Cambridge).
Performance in flight and data obtained
External references and bibliographical sources
