2007 Esrange
Balloon Campaign of the Aura Validation Balloon Program
Gondola 1: FIRS-2
Far Infrared Fourier Transform Emission Spectrometer based at
Astrophysics
(P.I. Ken Jucks)
SLS superconducting heterodyne sub-millimeter limb sounder based at NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory
(P.I. Bob Stachnik)
Ozone in situ photometer based at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (P.I. Jim Margitan, remotely
from JPL)
Gondola 2: MkIV solar occultation Fourier Transform Spectrometer based
at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (P.I. Geoff Toon)
Other JPL personnel include Brian Drouin
(Azimuth drive, working with SLS and FIRS-2, and photography boy),
Jess Landeros (gondola support and ping pong King), Dave Petterson
(MkIV team), Jean-Francois Blavier (MkIV team),
Voltaire Velazco (MkIV team), and Bhaswar Sen (Ozone
instrument and MkIV team, and positive thinking
expert).
We will try again tomorrow, as the vortex
is right overhead right now.
7:40UT FIRS-2/SLS Launch!!!!!
We see PSCs
in the sky…EVERYWHERE!!!!
Float at
Both FIRS-2 and SLS barely
obtained a sufficient amount of data.
Upon post flight inspection, all
3 instruments obtained what looks to be very interesting data!
Alas, the balloon again burst at
float altitude. MkIV
got some data on ascent above 25 km.
This will probably end the
campaign…….
Photos
and Movies (taken by Brian Drouin).
Thumbnails
and links to photos by Brian Drouin taken during
campaign (and trip to) Esrange near Kiruna, Sweden.
Time
lapse movie of Comet McNaught taken by Brian on
17/01/07.
Time lapse movie of FIRS/SLS
compatibility taken by Brian on
Time lapse movie of a foggy morning
taken from the hangar on
Time lapse movie of a morning sunrise
taken from the hangar on
Time lapse movie of scrubbed launch
taken on
Time
lapse movie of balloon inflation and PSCs taken
from outside the hangar on 24/01/07.
Time lapse movie of sunrise taken from
inside the hangar on
Time
lapse movie of late afternoon PSCs, Part I taken
from the balloon pad on 25/01/07.
Time
lapse movie of late afternoon PSCs, Part II taken
from the balloon pad on 25/01/07.
Time
lapse movie of late afternoon PSCs, Part III
taken from the balloon pad on 25/01/07.
Time lapse movie of an aurora taken
from the balloon pad on
Time
lapse movie of a post launch attempt on the balloon pad taken from the
hangar on
Time lapse movie of sun dogs taken
from the hangar on
Other links for
this campaign
Balloon launch will be
through the NASA Columbia Scientific
Balloon Facility (CSBF)
and the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC).
Follow this CSBF link for the
real-time video cam of the
balloon launch pad at Esrange (disabled when campaign
is over).
Follow this CSBF link for the
payload tracking once
the flights are in progress (disabled when campaign is over).