LSU 05/02/2006 Launch Trip 1

The LaACES Launch Trip

Ballooning Unit, Lecture 6

LSU 05/02/2006 Launch Trip 2

Launch Trip Overview & Schedule

• 3 ½ days of activities at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Palestine, Texas

• Including FRR, vehicle integration, pre-launch prep, flight operations, data analysis, flight results presentations and tours

• Scheduled for “turn-around”: May 22 through May 25, 2006

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Travel to NSBF

• Plan travel in order to arrive on the afternoon of Launch – 2 days Trip takes ~6 hours, non-stop, from Baton Rouge

• Recommend staying at the either the Best Western or Super 8 in Palestine, TX near the intersection of Rts 79 & 256

• Block of rooms available at Best Western, slightly cheaper at Super 8. Travel on May 21, 2006

ACES-01 group on “Tiny Tim” at NSBF during May, 2003

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Routes to Palestine, Texas

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CSBF is located outside Palestine

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Day 1 (Launch – 24 hours)

• Following the briefing we will have a short tour of the NSBF facility

• Return to hanger and setup for pre-launch payload checkout

• During the evening we will do the final vehicle integration

• Begin at 8 am with the team FRR presentations– Allow about 35 to 40 minutes for presentation and 20 to 25 minutes

for answering questions– Likely that CSBF personnel will attend and may ask questions!

• After lunch we will have an hour briefing to discuss weather & detailed plans for the launch

The balloon payload assembly hanger at NSBF

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Day 2 (Launch – 2 hours)

• Arrive at hanger at ~5:30 am to proceed with launch preparation– Complete final instrument

calibrations or materials prep– Pack vehicles for flight chase &

recovery– Check of tracking GPS radio

beacons– Pack balloon vehicle with flight

payloads attached– Pack flight line equipment

• Arrive at flight line at ~6:30 am– Lay out ACES vehicle– Configure payloads for launch

Final checkout of ACES-01 payloads on flightline

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Day 2 (Launch – 45 minutes)

• At about 6:45 am we do a final weather check– NSBF releases weather balloon to

measure winds up to 1000 feet– Flight line weather briefing

determines if we launch• At about 7:00 am the sounding

balloon is unpacked and filling begins

• NSBF notifies FAA about pending launch

• By 7:10 am final checks of payload and radio beacons should be complete

Final checkout of ACES-01 payloads on flightline

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Day 2 (Launch – 10 minutes)• At 7:15 am balloon fill has been completed• Balloon is secured to flight vehicle• All non-essential personnel clear the flight

line• NSBF provides FAA with 5 minute warning

of balloon launch• Flight vehicle is lifted to launch position

– One person is assigned to lightly hold each flight vehicle component

– Person on end is the “runner”• Launch!

– Balloon is released and each person lets go of the component they are holding as the balloon begins to lift it up

– The “runner” holds the end and runs in the direction the balloon is heading until the flight train is vertical

Launch of the ACES-01 flight vehicle

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Day 2 (Launch + 10 minutes)

• Flight Operations begin shortly after launch

• The chase vehicles are packed and proceed to follow the payload via the closest roads

• The GPS radio beacons on the vehicle provide real-time lat., long., and alt.

• This information is received in the chase vehicles– Used to locate landing– Also relayed to FAA

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Day 2 (Launch + ~3 hours)• Flight can last between 2 and 3

hours• The descending payloads are

tracked with the real-time GPS data

• Chase vehicles are routed to the nearest landing site access

• Before entering private land, recovery team must obtain permission from owner

• Payload is not touched until landing position is fully documented and designated lead for each payload is present

Documenting the ACES-01 flight vehicle during recovery

Recovery of the LSU / SU StuMURD payload

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Day 2 (Launch + ~4 hours)

• Following recovery we return to the NSBF

• Payloads are unpacked and data is downloaded to analysis computers

• Data analysis is focus for the remainder of the day– Calibrations should be ready to

be applied– Analysis software should be

ready and tested prior to flight• Goal is to obtain flight results

in science units in time for presentations

Analysis of the ACES-01 flight data begins

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Day 3 (Launch + 24 hours)

• Morning is devoted to touring the Raven Balloon Plant– Site where all professional scientific balloon are made– This tour may be scrubbed for 2006

• Complete data analysis during afternoon• Prepare flight results presentations

Students viewing a professional scientific balloon under construction

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Day 4 (Launch + 48 hours)

• Begin at 8am with presentations of flight results from each flight team– Allow about 30 minutes for the presentation and about 10

minutes for questions– Very likely that NSBF personnel will attend presentations and

ask questions• Strongly advise that your PowerPoint presentation be

almost complete prior to the launch trip– “Drop in” results & interpretation following flight– Much in common with FRR presentation, but emphasizing the

science goals, context, flight results and interpretation• Presentations should be over by noon so that return

home trip can begin

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Contingency

• Note that this schedule assumes a good launch weather on Tuesday.

• In the event that we have a weather delay– Tour of the balloon plant will take place on Tuesday– Flight operations will occur on Wednesday– Data analysis will take place on Thursday– Science presentations will be scheduled for Friday

morning• You need to take this contingency into account

when making your travel plans.

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Publish your results

• Results from your flight experiment can be published and we encourage you to do so

• There are several venues that would accept student publications– Your campus’s Research Forum– Zone meetings of the Society of Physics Students– Meetings of the American Association of Physics Teachers– National meetings of the American Physical Society– Meeting of the Council for Undergraduate Research

• Contact LaSPACE for advice on how to develop and publish your results

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References• http://www.ravenind.com/RavenCorporate/eng_films/high_alt_balloons_index

.htm - Raven Industries, Inc. Sulphur Springs Balloon Plant

• http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/ - Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF)