Mission: T03
Summary:
The Third Tethered Flight was to be a drop test of the new parachute recently ordred. The mission was laid out to inflate the balloon with about 12 pounds
of lift, and slowly raise it up to 150 feet, and use a remote cutdown system that was specifically constructed for this mission.
On the day of the test, winds seemed calm, but as the balloon was filled, it became apparent that the winds were picking up, and the very cold temperatures created a very
bad wind chill, thus forcing us to cancel the test before an actual drop occured.
Flight Information
Date: | December 17th, 2004 9:30 AM |
Launch Site: | St. Paul Campus Research Plots :: Map :: Web Page |
Launch Coordinates: | Latitude: 44.98 N, Longitude: 93.23 W, Altitude: 237 Meters ASL |
Personel:
Mission Manager: | Adam Thoreen |
Launch Director: | Karl Icenogle |
Flight Director: | Adam Thoreen |
Launch Team: | Dr. Garrard, Greg Nelson, David Sellnow, David Heppner, Adam Thoreen, Karl Icenogle, |
Lessons learned:
- Make sure we send someone out to the feild to test the wind conditions and not rely soley on an internet prediction.
- Make sure the parachute is untangled prior to connecting it to the balloon and command module.
- Establish a minimum temperature/wind chill index at which we will still have a launch. This test should have been postponed due to the cold.
Pictures:
Web site maintained by
Adam Thoreen
Last updated: January 13th, 2005