We have an extra tank of helium left over from the Super Launch on Saturday. Also, Jon Riley, AJ0NR, recently purchased one of the new Garmin GPS-18 units that has not yet been tested over 60,000 feet. We will be sending it up to approximately 87k on a 600g balloon.
| Flight Parameters | |
|---|---|
| Launch Date/Time | Saturday, 5 July 2004 at 8:30am |
| Alternative Date | None |
| Launch Site | East fairgrounds parking lot near Fairgrounds Pool (38° 04.6'N, 97° 54.9'W) in Hutchinson, KS |
| Primary Transmitter / Antenna | VX-1R HT running APRS on 144.39MHz / Vertically polarized dipole |
| Backup Transmitter / Antenna | Radio Shack HT running APRS on 144.39MHz / Vertically polarized dipole |
| Balloon / Gas | Kaysam 600gram / 190 cu feet of Helium |
| Estimated Burst Altitude | 87,000' MSL |
| Estimated Ascent Rate | 1050' per minute |
| Estimated Descent Rate | Approx. 1100' per minute at touchdown |
| Capsule(s) weight | 3lbs 8oz including parachute, rigging, batteries, etc... |
| Chase Frequencies | 146.49MHz |
| Balloon Finder Telemetry Mode | PT Mode 2 |
Flight Results
After another night of rain storms, the sky cleared off and a small group of us gathered at our normal launch site in Hutchinson.
The primary mission objective was to fly the new Garmin GPS-18 above 60,000 feet
| Flight Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Launch Date/Time | Monday, 5 July 2004 at 8:50am |
| Launch Site | East fairgrounds parking lot near Fairgrounds Pool (38° 04.6'N, 97° 54.9'W) in Hutchinson, KS |
| Burst Altitude | About 78,915ft (23,933m) MSL |
| Average Ascent Rate | 1090ft/min (5.54m/s) |
| Measured Descent Rate | 952ft/min (4.84m/s) |
| Touchdown Site | 2 miles west-southwest of Ramona, KS (38° 35.0077'N, 97° 6.2803'W) |
| Touchdown Time | Monday, 5 July 2004 at 10:41am |
| Recovery Time | Monday 5 July 2004 at 11:45am |
| Distance Traveled | 56 miles (90km) as the crow flies |
| Total Flight Time | 1 hours 52 minutes |
| Downloads | Lat/Lon File, Log File (W0WR-11), Log File (AJ0NR-11), Flight Analysis |
Lessons Learned
- The internal air temp on the secondary package dropped to -10°C but the Lithium-Ion battery pack continued to put out nearly full voltage. We aren't sure why the temperature drop - the box was fully sealed when we recovered it.
- We had some issues with the primary radio shutting down while packing the box. It appears that the power connector going into the controller board may have glitched while packing the capsule.