Launch of ANITA

We left McMurdo at 4:30 am this morning and were able to get the balloon up by 10:18 am local time. I just got back to my room, but I will be going back out tonight to work the graveyard shift from 12-8.

I'm sure I'll be adding more photos, but here's a start. I will include photos from both days, but we can all pretend they are all from the same launch.




This is the top panel from the battery box. The artist was a member of ANITA as we didn't have enough entries in the art contest. I don't think it is black enough, but it was approved.










The hook to hook transfer. If they were not able to do this, we would have to set ANITA down outside, hoist it with the Boss, and then put on the drop down antennas and the solar panels. It would have added a few hours to getting it flight ready for each attempt and it would have meant more work outside.











Driving ANITA to the launch pad.













A Challenger pulling the sled carrying the balloon. The balloon itself weighs about 4000 pounds.













The spool. It hides its 18,000 pounds pretty well. As you will see in other photos, part of the balloon wraps around the spool. A lever flips the spool up, which releases the balloon.










A dozer hauling one of the two helium trailers used to fill the balloon. It took one full trailer plus 7 of the 12 tubes on the other trailer. Each tube is at about 2800 psi.

Tragically, after the CREAM launch, a worker, who happened to be from Ventura, was run over by one of the tracks on the trailer. Apparently they were trying to hook the two trailers together to take back to McMurdo and somehow he got run over. Thankfully another worker was there to pull him out before he got run over by the next set of treads. They rushed him to the hospital here and then put him on an emergency flight back to Christchurch. Apparently he is doing alright now, but has a crushed pelvis and possibly bruised kidneys. Obviously the accident could have been a lot worse.

The set up at the pad. The spool is on the trailer just out of the shot on the right.













Releasing a pie ball to check the wind speed and direction.












This is looking down the balloon train. The parachute is in the foreground.

















This shot shows the balloon wrapped around the spool. The balloon is in two layers of protective plastic, an outer red layer, and an inner yellow layer. Once they open the protective covering the balloon either gets filled or thrown away. I believe the balloon itself is valued at around $120,000, and is quite a feat of manufacturing.







I'm standing next to the spool in this shot, looking back towards the payload.

















In this shot you can see the CSBF employees putting the valves on the top of the balloon. The valves are used to terminate the flight.











There's an explosive charge in the silver box that cuts the bolts linking the parachute and the payload to the balloon. The balloon on the right, the parachute is out of the shot to the left.










A CSBF employee getting ready to fill the balloon from one of the two vent tubes.













Beginning to inflate the balloon.



























Just prior to release of the balloon.













Release of the balloon. It has about 13,000 pounds of lift.













The balloon rising.













The balloon is almost over the payload.



















Release of the gondola. It takes just about 20 seconds from the release of the balloon until the pin is pulled on the Boss.

















Prior to the drop downs deploying.


















After deployment of the drop downs.

As you can see, even CSBF has problems with falling debris. This is one of the plastic pieces that make up a collar on the balloon. It would have been catastrophic if the plastic hit a solar panel, but luckily they didn't.

















Off she goes.



















A superb photo of my hand, but if you look carefully you can see the balloon floating at about 50,000 feet.