From: "Lloyd Verhage" <verhage@humec.ksu.edu>

To: "Kansas Near Space Project" <KNSP@humec.ksu.edu>

Subject: Not just a hobby,....(long)

Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 08:08:31 CST6CDT

Sender: Maiser@humec.ksu.edu Organization:

College of Human Ecology, KSU

Reply-to: verhage@humec.ksu.edu

Near Space Ballooning is not just a hobby, its an adventure!

I hauled the equipment out to the KNSP launch site Friday afternoon, a little concerned that the weather may not cooperate. Saturday morning the weather was a sure thing, we were going to launch. I ran the software prediction program. Using Topeka winds (12 hours old) the capsule's were predicted to land in KC.

On the way to the launch site a deer ran out in front of my car. Needless to say my car won, but not without some damage. Just before a launch is not the time to be calling insurance companies, so it would have to wait.

Two balloons were filled and the capsules checked. We found that the release mechanism for the glider was not set correctly. Funny thing is that I don't remember playing around with that. Be that as it may be, we attempted to launch the glider on the Asimov II anyway. The capsules were successfully launched at about 7:15 and 7:25 am. At an altitude of about 200 feet the glider slipped off the dropper and glided down to the ground. It was proof that the procedure works. Of course this was suppose to happen at 50,000 feet, but we did recover the glider this time.

After 14,000 feet the Asimov II detected a 500 meter drop in its altitude and went into descend mode. We stopped getting some of the science data and didn't test the tethered capsule. After 6 flights, this software routine for detecting balloon burst has never failed, so I wonder if the GPS did spit out a bad altitude value. I'll code a sanity check into the routine for future flights.

The Asimov II made some 85,000 feet when the balloon burst. The Sagan was then at some 96,000 feet, but we realized the data was 15 minutes old. Apparently the Sagan stopped transmitting at one of the worst momments.

We left Bob at Bonner Springs KS to try to find the Sagan while the rest of us (Mark, Nathan, Tatter, Charles, and myself) drove to Independence Mo to recover the Asimov II. Following APRS we drove down a residental road to a yard with half a dozen people gathered around. We couldn't see the capsule, but since they we looking at the ground we knew what they had found. The Asimov II had landed in someone's front yard, about 25 feet from their house. The neighbors had gathered to see what it was. We explained to them what was going on and started to shut down the capsule. Channel 4 (Fox) in KC had been called, so we waited for the cameraman to show up. We explained for TV what we were doing and asked their viewers to keep an eye open for the Sagan.

Back to Bonner springs to start searching for the Sagan. We combed a 10 mile region looking for a downed capsule but only found home electronics. The backup beacon frequency has some competition. After an hour of searching we tried to take to the air. We drove through a cemetery to get to "their" air field! Believe it or not, in Kansas we have a cemetery that owns a runway (actually they rent the land out to a private air strip). As soon as we got there, an old man on a motorcycle showed up. He owned a Cessna 152 (two seater) and was happy to take a volunteer up. Nathan lost, so he had to go. The old plane was checked over as Nathan was outfitted with the latest in personal electronics. The dusty old plane took to the air with a less than steady grace.

After they went airborne, Don aranged a lift with the pilot of a two-seated ultralight (I not making this up, reality is stranger than fiction). The ultralight started to takeoff when the pilot put her down again. Two fuel values had been switched off accidently cutting off fuel to the 42 hp engine. Fortunatley they found this out while still on the ground, rather than when in the air.

The ultralift had to return early because of thermals. Nathan returned after about an hour with no luck in spotting the Sagan.

We all went to get some dinner and I had basically written off the Sagan, with its GPS, radio, MIM, and camcorder.

The next morning Channel 4 in KC called asking for more info. After lunch I got another call from them saying someone had found the Sagan. I talked to the finder and he confirmed it was the Sagan and not a National Weather Service radiosonde. I drove out to Tonganoxie KS at 98,000 feet (or so it seemed to me). Found the place without too much trouble only to find its was their backyard. We had gone two for two, both capsules landed in yards! We've never done something like that before. The flight had gone well and apparently the MIM to GPS connector had pulled lose at balloon burst. Personally I don't see how this would stop telemetry, so I'm going to have to do some research this week. The capsule's landing position was 39 deg 05.156' N 94 deg 57.834' W, some 91 miles from the launch site. The capsules were 30 miles a part from one another. The Sagan landed on the very eastern edge of the area we had searched, so we were close with our prediction (and so was Bob Davis with his).

The camcorder recorded the balloon bursting, but we only see half of the balloon. When the balloon bursts it leaves behind a cloud of white dust and plenty of latex fragments. There's a boom when it happens and a roar as the capsule descends. The parachute collapses several times only to reopen within a second. A few times the capsule turns on its side to show the 'chute and the edge of the Earth. At these altitudes it looks like space.

I gave the finders a reward and will send them info on the flight. They asked about posters. Does anyone know if we can take video images and make them into posters?

I'd like to make a t-shirt from the balloon burst image and send them up. Would anyone be interested in owning a geniune KNSP t-shirt that's been up to at least 80,000 feet?

So that's it. What was suppose to be a half day even turned out to take 36 hours to finish.

The next flight is scheduled for 18 July and it will be a night time launch. I hope to record sunrise at 85,000 feet. Let me know if you would like to participate or if you see a problem with this date.

Lloyd

Kansas NSP