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CNNSP-04 |
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Flight Summary |
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Launch Date: |
5-Nov-05 |
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Launch Time: |
16:48z |
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Launch Location: |
Seward, NE |
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Maximum
Altitude: |
96,293 |
feet |
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Maximum Speed: |
103 |
mph |
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Average Speed: |
39.7 |
mph |
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Average Ascent
Rate: |
1095 |
ft/min |
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Average Descent
Rate: |
2633 |
ft/min |
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Flight Duration: |
2:03 |
hr:min |
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Distance (Great
Circle): |
86 |
miles |
After much
deliberation we decided to launch from Seward, NE at the fairgrounds instead of
Wood River, to avoid landing in the Lincoln or Omaha area. We arrived around
10:00 CST to find out we weren’t the only ones that wanted to use the
fairgrounds. There was some other event going on and almost no parking places
left, however, we were able to find a small area to fill and release the
balloon. We had plenty of help to hold and fill the Kaymont
TX1000 gram balloon. A light breeze started to blow out of the north as we were
filling, but wasn’t too difficult to manage. The flight string was attached and
we were ready to release by about 10:40, about 20 minutes ahead of schedule.
Mark and Wayne from NSTAR offered to help with chase and recovery from the
Omaha area, but were helping provide communications for a Veteran’s Day parade
until late morning. A quick phone call to Mark and Flight Service to append the
launch time and we released the balloon at 10:48 into a mostly overcast sky.
Initial ascent rate was in excess of 1300 ft/min. Once again I used a little
too much Helium. I may have to invest in a pressure gauge with a little better
precision on the low end in order to more accurately determine how much gas
remains in the cylinder. The two APRS beacons and the CW beacon performed well,
until the balloon burst at 96,293 feet. The WY0F-11 beacon suffered a broken
solder joint on the antenna connection, which will be replaced with a bulkhead
connector for the next flight. The CW beacon was heard in Minnesota, however
this is the second time the antenna wire was severed after balloon burst. I
don’t know if this is due to the insulation of the wire being cold and brittle,
or something else. We stayed on I-80 for the majority of the chase, until we
headed north towards Persia, IA while making contact with Mark and Wayne, who
were just ahead of us. Jack got a visual on the payloads as they were
descending about a half-mile ahead of us. Recovery was in a cornfield (go
figure) about ¼ mile or so off of the main road. We headed back to Council
Bluffs for a late lunch at Perkins. This was the first flight for the
atmospheric pressure sensor and battery monitor, which seemed to perform well.
Data
Photos