Recap of EOSS-138/139

Return to Main Recap Page

View from the Launch Site

by Benjie Campbell, W0CBH

Well team, we had an exciting time yesterday.  Larry (N0NDM) and I (W0CBH) arrived just abut 6:00 am at the launch site.  Daryl Hartner quickly appeared and away we went, getting things in order, unloading and setting up and preparing the first balloon.  I was doing the inflation sequence with Daryl's help thus letting Larry be in overall charge of the balloon prep.  I only learn when I have to actually do the procedure. 

The first balloon preparation progressed well, and the payload string was ready to attach when we finished the inflation. We hooked them together and launched EOSS 138 with the NOAA AirCore. 

We then proceeded filling EOSS 139's balloon.  We waited a short time for the payload string to be ready.  The payload team was missing one package. That team had turned right on I-25 and drove down to Colorado Sprigs instead of heading north to Windsor.  At what time they realized their error we know not, but they reversed their course and made it to Windsor and attached their payload to the end of the launch string and away we went. 

Well, no we didn't.  On liftoff, the quick disconnect failed due to slack in the flight string and the balloon separated from the payload string and ascended into the heavens by itself.  It was a pretty sight, but discouraging.  We quickly ran to the trailer and inflated a third balloon, and attached it to the 139 payload string and launched it.  It didn't take too long to fill this third balloon, but we were busier than four armed paper hangers. 

After the last balloon was aloft, we picked up our equipment and then went inside the sun room to watch the data come back down to the flight displays that Nick (N0LP) runs at the launch site. 

We discussed the launch trouble and decided we had not properly deployed the balloon in the wind flow that had arisen after the first balloon had launched.  The first balloon had zero wind conditions and we basically let it go straight up.  No. 2 had a wind component, and we had positioned the balloon upwind of the  payload string.  When I released the balloon from the carabineer handle, it went with the wind toward the payload string and as a result the payload string developed some slack, and the quick disconnect disengaged itself.  So, the lesson learned is to keep the balloon quick disconnect down wind so the balloon drags/pulls the payload string, keeping the flight string taunt.  Mike Manes did find some small configuration problems with the quick release as we were attaching the third balloon to the flight string, which he corrected, but that might have been due to it hitting the ground after the failed 2nd balloon launch attempt.  Oh well, we got it off and had a very good flight. 

Nick (N0LP) provided a great video taken by Daryl Hartner of the second launch and you can find it on the EOSS web page.  The weather at the launch site was great, very pretty sunrise and early morning cloud/sun viewing.  When we had confirmation of the recovery of both payloads, the launch team packed up and cleaned up the sun room and departed to our lunch at the local Arby's, just next to I-25. 

We have two to three more launches to do before the trip to this years GPSL convention in Topeka, KS.  So, we will be busy beavers.  Oh, Mike Morgan, who is now living in Pella, IA sent me an email, saying it was Tulip Time there, a great yearly three day or more event in Pella.  Hey, how about going there one year and launching a balloon from there?