SABLE-3
Southern Alberta Balloon Launch Experiments
August 11th, 2007
Third time lucky and Tony now has the photo he wanted - a view from 117,597 feet.
SABLE-3 was launched on Saturday, August 11th, 2007, at 9:31 AM with a payload, consisting of a Nikon Coolpix P2 digital camera set to take 1 image every minute and a Byonics MicroTrak 300 APRS Tracker, that the Kaysam 1200 gram balloon carried to over 117,597 feet. The last payload camera photo from the ground was just before it was launched, at 9:31 AM, and the last photo before the balloon burst was the photo above, at 12:01 PM, exactly 2½ hours or 150 images later. And what a photo. The composition couldn't have been better or the horizon more level and out of the 196 images taken during the flight, only 1 other image is as good. What are the chances? |
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(left) yours truly assembles a battery pack for the tracker using Lithium AA cells and then .......... (right) Tony & I close & seal up the payload package after switching on and ensuring the tracker and camera are operating correctly. |
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(right) the payload container, parachute and balloon are tied together before heading outside to the launch area (below). SABLE-3's Track from aprs.he.fi |
Above - Several recovery teams were on the scene in time to see the payload land and Tony gets his first chance to see what remains after one of these balloons bursts. |
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Above (from L - R) - Brian VE6JBJ, myself - Barry VE6SBS, Tony VA6TNY, and James VE6SRV with the tangled remains of the balloon, parachute, payload package and antenna. |
And a Thanks to Bart, VE6VB, for most of the launch and recovery photos and to
James, VE6SRV, for payload camera photo descriptions and other web page assistance.
This would normally have been the end of the story, but not this time.
Checkout The Aftermath from SABLE-3
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