tracking 3 balloons across the US (live Dec 12th/13th)

[Admin]

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

[eTag]

so who did it...and what are they using to keep it from leaving the planet?

[Admin]

It was done by this group:
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

[Soeren]

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 


Glad there's only three and I hope they're not red

[Admin]

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

Only if it takes 1-2 hours to write

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.

[Admin]

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 . . .

[Admin]

They seem to be in desperate need of tracking stations.

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

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

K6RPT-11 still flying over south Spain, igates needed on 144.39 MHz in Spain, south France, Italy, Greece.

[Admin]

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/nsMR
http://ow.ly/i/nsMY
http://ow.ly/i/nsN5

[Soeren]

Hi,

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

Only if it takes 1-2 hours to write

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

[Admin]

More info . . .

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

unofficial K6RPT-11 flight duration: 57 hours 2 minutes - a #hamradio balloon world record

[Admin]

Statement from ARRL:

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