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General Misc => Misc => Topic started by: Admin on December 12, 2011, 09:53:08 PM

Title: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 12, 2011, 09:53:08 PM
I've been watching these three balloons cross the US. Looks like one is about to be lost over the Atlantic . . .

http://aprs.fi/?call=ng0x-2%2Ck6rpt-11%2Ck6rpt-12&mt=roadmap&z=7&timerange=172800&_s=ss_call (http://aprs.fi/?call=ng0x-2%2Ck6rpt-11%2Ck6rpt-12&mt=roadmap&z=7&timerange=172800&_s=ss_call)
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: eTag on December 13, 2011, 12:40:51 PM
so who did it...and what are they using to keep it from leaving the planet?
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 13, 2011, 08:47:57 PM
It was done by this group:
http://www.californianearspaceproject.com/news_update.html (http://www.californianearspaceproject.com/news_update.html)

I just had a look again, and holy cow it's going to Spain! They didn't expect that to happen, lol . . .


eTag, these are balloons, and so they can't go where there isn't any air :P
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Soeren on December 13, 2011, 09:58:47 PM
Hi,

Pretty impressing!
It should be hitting the coast of Spain (or Portugal) as I write this.

And depending on the weather and the influence of the Alps on the wind directions etc., it may take a trip to the French Riviera, or go even higher North, but I doubt I'll be spotting it/them - perhaps en route to Moscow  :o


Glad there's only three and I hope they're not red ;D
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 13, 2011, 10:05:19 PM
It should be hitting the coast of Spain (or Portugal) as I write this.
Only if it takes 1-2 hours to write :P

There is another balloon group that had been trying a US east coast to Europe flight for years, and they've failed every flight.

This group got it with dumb luck lol . . . I think what happened is that they got it stuck in the jet stream, at just the right altitude. Temperatures are like -40C so I'm surprised it's still working for so long.
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 13, 2011, 11:39:15 PM
Their twitter site says "167 mph @ 110000" feet

. . . but that altitude doesn't sound right to me . . . winds should be null at that altitude . . . at this speed, it's more likely at 35000 feet in the jet stream . . .

It should cross over land in the next 20 minutes, making it the very first cross-Atlantic amateur balloon trip ever.

Their twitter also says "Battery voltage is better than expected", making me wonder when it's going to stop lol . . .
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 14, 2011, 01:12:57 AM
They seem to be in desperate need of tracking stations.

As reported here http://twitter.com/k6rpt (http://twitter.com/k6rpt)

Quote
I will send USD $100 to the first North African APRS station (or to the charity of your choice) to successfully IGate #CNSP11 telemetry.

Quote
K6RPT-11 still flying over south Spain, igates needed on 144.39 MHz in Spain, south France, Italy, Greece.
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 14, 2011, 04:12:31 AM
It made it past Algiers, then the balloon failed. You can see it fall in the last image. The last recorded location was 22 minutes ago.

http://ow.ly/i/nsMG (http://ow.ly/i/nsMG)
http://ow.ly/i/nsMR (http://ow.ly/i/nsMR)
http://ow.ly/i/nsMY (http://ow.ly/i/nsMY)
http://ow.ly/i/nsN5 (http://ow.ly/i/nsN5)
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Soeren on December 14, 2011, 10:26:26 AM
Hi,

It should be hitting the coast of Spain (or Portugal) as I write this.
Only if it takes 1-2 hours to write :P
The last data plotted at that time (about an hour earlier, perhaps my browser went sour), the balloon was roughly 220..230km from the coast and going at 265km/hour, so it was a fair guess - and I only got it 40 minutes off as the map shows now :)


Temperatures are like -40C so I'm surprised it's still working for so long.
Especially the batteries, as there's bound to such a low drain on them, that the self heating should be negligible, but then again, low drain means that the high impedance of a very-very cold battery won't matter that much and if the rest of the components were mil spec types...
Damn good going anyway :D
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 14, 2011, 11:23:22 AM
More info . . .

Quote
unofficial K6RPT-11 distance from origin (not flight track): 6237 miles / 10037km http://bit.ly/uZ7nXh (http://bit.ly/uZ7nXh)

unofficial K6RPT-11 flight duration: 57 hours 2 minutes - a #hamradio balloon world record
Title: Re: tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)
Post by: Admin on December 18, 2011, 08:26:03 PM
Statement from ARRL:

http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-balloon-flight-crosses-atlantic-sets-records (http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-balloon-flight-crosses-atlantic-sets-records)