Balloon Launch

Recently I was invited to take part in a weather balloon launch with Near Space Ventures - a KCMO based non-profit organization. The launch took place at the Mabee Center on the William Jewell campus. Payload for the Near Space balloon included a radio capsule with HAM radio equipment, a GPS transmitter and camera equipment. The NSV launch was part of a bigger event – GPSL (Great Plains Super Launch), an Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning event. The event included no less than 10 balloons which were launched that morning.

It was a pretty neat little deal. We were set up with a computer to monitor the position and track the progress of the balloon. The balloon flew southeast then turned west reaching speeds of up to 45mph and an altitude of 99,000 feet before bursting. After the balloon burst, the payload fell southeast and ended up about 30 miles almost directly south from the launch site.

Recovery of the payload was another story. The capsule came down in a remote area of the James A. Reed Wildlife Refuge and we could only get within about half a mile by car. This was about what I was expecting. Before we could go get the capsule, we had to let the dogs have a go. One of the systems undergoing testing was a canine rescue/recovery team. The dogs ended up failing badly and extended the recovery time by at least an hour - in the middle of the day, in early August. Long story short, I ended up finding the payload after a mile hike through some of the nastiest terrain the JARWR had to offer. The payload was, of course, suspended about 20 feet up in a tree. One of the other searchers and I were able to get the rig down and carry it back to the road. By that time I had totally sweat through every piece of clothing I was wearing.

All together, it was a fun experience. It's something that I would do again.