Department of Physics & Astronomy
Summer 2006 NSF REU Program

 
Field Trip to NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility
in Palestine, Texas
July 21, 2006

Click on the image for a full-resolution version

  Aerostar's, scientific balloon  
  manufactoring plant,  
  Sulphur Springs, TX  
  REU participants Trevor Gamble, Robey  
  Clark, Mitchell Rutkowski & Cassidy Smith,  
  with hosts Dr Marcum & Dr Fanelli on the left  
  The payload, ARCADE is being  
  attached to the launch vehicle  
  Payload operations control room  
  (used only for balloon flights)  
  in the Arctic & Antarctic)
  The launch vehicle on the "pad".  
  ARCADE (~5000 lbs) is attached via  
  cable from the release arm.  
  The launch crew is waiting for a "GO"  
  to begin filling the balloon.  
  The helium tanks are on the left, trucked in  
  from West Texas.  
  Balloon fill takes about 45 minutes  
  During inflation, the balloon is  
  held down with a massive roller  
  which is released at "launch".  
  Click on this image and view the full  
  resolution image to see this device.  
   
   
   
   
  Balloon release  
  Up she (?) goes. The recovery parachute    
  is visible in this image  
  Payload release  
  ARCADE at about 1000 feet