FLIGHT LOG
SpaceCat-1. First attempt at high-altitude ballooning. Objective - explore design, track position/altitude, bring back still photos of ascent, recover spacecraft. Conceived OCT 2012. Research NOV 2012 - JAN 2013. Design, construction DEC 2012 - FEB 2013. Launch occurred from Albany NY on 23 FEB 2013, landing near Derry NH. Successful flight. Spacecraft recovered.
SpaceCat-2. Planning begins MAR 2013. Objective - multiple cameras, additional sensors. Launch target MAY-JUN 2013.
|
FLIGHT is the culmination of careful planning, design, construction . . . and the addition of a good deal of luck!
Planning a launch starts with choosing a launch window where the team, resources, and schedule permits a launch. Several launch windows should be planned, given that forecasts of bad weather or undesirable flight path are likely to force a cancellation. In addition, several prospective launch sites should be identified based on ease of access, proximity to highways, and favorable balloon flight-path predictions. As these launch windows approach, long-term weather forecasts are monitored daily for suitability - surface winds should be as low as possible, and inclement weather avoided. The National Weather Service (NWS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), publishes excellent forecasts which are used by Internet weather services and TV meteorologists. As these windows approach, balloon flight-path forecasts are also monitored daily - launch on a day that predicts a suitable location. This is especially true for SpaceCat HQ in Massachusetts, where prevailing winds blow to the east, and a poorly-planned launch will put the spacecraft into the Atlantic ocean. A very good balloon path prediction program, which utilises National Weather Service forecast-model data for atmospheric winds, is run by the Cambridge University Spaceflight student society: the CUSF predictor. Ascent rate, burst altitude, and descent rate are needed to run the program. You likely won't have a firm idea of the real viability of a launch window until about 5 or 6 days prior to the event. In this range, the weather forecast for launch day both changes less day-to-day, and more accurately matches the weather you actually experience. Similarly, the balloon flight-path prediction for the launch day changes less with each successive day, as this sequence shows. Note though that changing the window by a day could change the balloon path significantly, as this sequence shows. This also shows that ascent & descent rate should be well-known at this time (which means balloon and spacecraft construction are complete), as small changes in these figures will make a large difference in the flight path. Launches are typically planned for mornings with the hope of minimal wind at the launch site, but they can occur at whatever time the situation dictates. Planning for a landing well before dusk, however, helps the chase team pinpoint the spacecraft and hopefully recover it. |