Purpose of the flight and payload description
The US army's Range Instrumentation Development Division was developing a miss-distance indicator for use in missile testing. The system was held aloft by captive balloons while high velocity aircraft rockets were fired in the vicinity. In the framework of that task they wanted to determine the optical properties of various special paints, so they created Project Stove Pipe, in which painted stove pipes were strung out beneath a balloon and studied through ground instrumentation. At least 4 missions were carried out for the project at Holloman AFB in the first half of 1954.
Details of the balloon flight
Balloon launched on: 3/18/1954
Launch site: Holloman Air Force Base, Alamogordo, New Mexico, US
Balloon launched by: Balloon Branch, Holloman Air Force Base (HAFB)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon General Mills 30 foot diam (2.0 mil)
Flight identification number: HAFB 204
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 3/18/1954
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 2 h 30 m
Payload weight: 48 lbs
Overall weight: 97 lbs
This particular flight served to perform an Askania cinetheodolite test
External references
- Flight Summary Non-Extensible Balloon Operations 6580th Test Squadron (Special) Air Force Missile Development Center Holloman AFB
StratoCat is an independent, non-commercial project maintained to preserve and share the history of scientific and stratospheric ballooning. If you find the site useful, you can help keep it running with a small donation toward its operating costs. Every contribution, even the equivalent of a cup of coffee, is greatly appreciated.
