Details of the balloon and launch operations

Launch site: Scientific Flight Balloon Facility, New Mexico, US
Launch team: Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF)
Balloon: Open balloon (zero pressure) Aerostar - 34.430.000 ft3 - (0.8 mil - Stratofilm)
Serial number: W 34.43-H-1
Flight identification number: 585NT
Campaign: No Data
Payload weight: -
Gondola weight: -
Overall weight: -

The balloon was launched by dynamic method with assistance of launch vehicle -Big Bill- on May 31 at 14:52 utc. The ascent to float was uneventful. After a flight mainly in a westward path the mission was terminated on June 1 at 20:08 utc. The payload landed 14 Nautic Miles NW of Winslow, Arizona. Total flight time was 30 hours and 4 minutes.

Description of the payload or experiment

A-34 Heavy Balloon Test + BalloonSat

Responsable institution: Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility / New Mexico State University
Principal Investigator: Deborah Fairbrother / Dr. Steve Horan

This was a flight qualification test of the new A34.43-3 balloon design with a fully loaded payload of 8,000 pounds.

Part of the payload was a piggyback instrument, BalloonSat, being flown for New Mexico State University (NMSU). The BalloonSat instrument is a set of photomultiplier detectors to measure the earth's background radiation at 450-nm. It will characterize that background for further cosmic ray studies. The BalloonSat configuration will also provide a test of the engineering concepts for a university nanosatellite payload in a near-space environment. BalloonSat was developed by NMSU under a US Air Force program.

Performance in flight and data obtained

This flight was an operations and science success. All pre-flight minimum requirements for both the primary and piggyback experiments were exceeded. This was an excellent launch in great weather conditions. The balloon performance was excellent. The ascent profile into float, the overnight float, the post-diurnal cycle recovery, and the termination were within anticipated limits. The NMSU science group has reported excellent data collection, and instrument performance for the BalloonSat. A refined heavy lift Rip Stitch system employed during the termination performed satisfactorily.