Balloon Burst Pictures Away 38 Balloon Burst Away 38 reached 99,340 feet. The vehicle carried two model rockets. In spite of heaters and insulation the motorwere too cold... in flight, however,they did record some amazing footage of the balloon burst.Here are some frames from the video. The camera was almost completely dazzled out by the reflections... off the balloon and deck structure. The balloon has actually failed in the first image. Upon magnification you can see fractures all around the perimeter. The last four away...

. The entire package was carried aloft by a three weather balloon. This flight tested several new features. Instead of a single balloon we used three. We have flown multiple balloons... before however they have always been groups of latex balloons. This flight used three zero pressure polyethylene balloons. These large plastic balloons will be used in groups... with the balloons as in earlier flights. The parachute was stowed on one of the stabilizer fins and deployed when the balloons were released. Also new was a central power system. The...

. As a part of advancing our programs, we are designing and building our own balloons. The balloon for Away 18 was a medium altitude version and flew to 41,000 feet on this mission.... Away 20 Away 20 was the next JPA-constructed balloon. 80 feet long and 15 feet in diameter, the package it would carry included a balloon separation system, a GPS tracking system..., and a new lighter-weight mini-beacon. Away 20 Lifting It was a cold desert morning on Dec. 8, but that doesn't slow down this team. Here the group patiently fills the balloon...

Away 38 Away 38 30th Aniversary and the 100th Mission June 27, 2009 Away 38 was a high altitude balloon technology development mission. On our last three flights we had trouble... carried two small rockets for launch at peak altitude. The balloon lifted off from the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada, Saturday morning, June 27, 2009 at 8:45am. The GPS antenna..., however the fuel got too cold to ignite and the rockets remained in their boxes. The balloon climbed at 99,340 feet. The balloon then popped and Away 35 did a slow roll, deployed...

. Telemetry Antenna John Kirkpatrick sets up the telemetry antenna. Tracking a sounding balloon Under all that covering is Sue McMurray. She's tracking a sounding balloon we flew... for transport. It takes about an hour to setup at the workshop, about two hours in a cold snow laden field. A man and his balloons The best balloon mounts are people. Ed managed to get... two! All balloons filled! Nine flight balloons and two spares are inflated. Balloons being attached There are two release mechanisms for each balloon. The primary release...