The first balloon launch from Fort Sumner was conducted in March 1986. At
that time UCAR was the manager of the NSBF. A leased crane was used as a payload launch vehicle. In the late 1980’s NASA spent about $100,000 to construct
large insulated walls and air conditioning inside the hanger to allow scientists to
service their payloads in a controlled environment. Three bays with tall sliding
doors that opened into the main hanger provided a workable area, with large steel
A-frames used to suspend the payloads.
Another flight safety risk analysis performed in 1988 resulted in performing all
stratospheric turnaround balloon flights from Fort Sumner rather than Palestine. The
risk associated with stratospheric turnaround flights going toward Houston, TX and
other populated areas to the south became unacceptable to NASA. This forced the
NSBF to adopt a new operational approach within the NASA Balloon Program
using Palestine as the primary center for scientific ballooning, but only for missions
traversing to the west. Fort Sumner became the permanent launch site to meet easterly and turnaround flight requirements where payloads could be terminated and
landed in moderate to low population density areas that offered a high probability
for recovery. These safety conditions ruled out all areas east of the Mississippi River
owing to high population densities. Consequently the only part of the country that
fulfilled the safety and operational requirements was the southwestern U.S.
An extensive effort was made to build permanent facilities at Fort Sumner. The
large NASA High Bay building was approved for construction by NASA in the
early 1990’s, but the agency first had to purchase the land at the airport from the
city of Fort Sumner since the U.S. federal government cannot build facilities on
land that is not owned by the government. It took a couple of years to complete
that transaction.
The High Bay building is 12.2 m (40 ft) high with over 600 m
2
(6,458 ft
2
) of air
conditioned floor area to check and integrate up to four scientific payloads at a
time and to provide work areas for operations and support personnel. There is a
9.1 m (30 ft) high door on either end of the building and a 4,500 kg (10,000 lb)
monorail crane to move gondolas and equipment within the structure.
The second phase of construction of the High Bay was completed in mid-1994,
with the addition of paving around the building and the addition of a second and
third floor with enclosed telemetry station, weather station, and a complete flight
control center. A roof platform was added to act as a mounting structure for line of
sight telemetry antennas and cameras to track balloon launch operations using the
internet. In addition, a non-magnetic frame located near the main building is used
to calibrate the magnetic sensors on balloon payloads.
Since the completion of the Fort Sumner base the operational concept for routine support of line of sight ZPB flights in the U.S. has been stratospheric turnaround flights, as well as for flights traveling west from Palestine in the summer.
Flights from Fort Sumner which head east are supported using Palestine as a
downrange station, and a mobile telemetry station is located at the Winslow, AZ
for balloons heading west.
126 Launch Sites
that time UCAR was the manager of the NSBF. A leased crane was used as a payload launch vehicle. In the late 1980’s NASA spent about $100,000 to construct
large insulated walls and air conditioning inside the hanger to allow scientists to
service their payloads in a controlled environment. Three bays with tall sliding
doors that opened into the main hanger provided a workable area, with large steel
A-frames used to suspend the payloads.
Another flight safety risk analysis performed in 1988 resulted in performing all
stratospheric turnaround balloon flights from Fort Sumner rather than Palestine. The
risk associated with stratospheric turnaround flights going toward Houston, TX and
other populated areas to the south became unacceptable to NASA. This forced the
NSBF to adopt a new operational approach within the NASA Balloon Program
using Palestine as the primary center for scientific ballooning, but only for missions
traversing to the west. Fort Sumner became the permanent launch site to meet easterly and turnaround flight requirements where payloads could be terminated and
landed in moderate to low population density areas that offered a high probability
for recovery. These safety conditions ruled out all areas east of the Mississippi River
owing to high population densities. Consequently the only part of the country that
fulfilled the safety and operational requirements was the southwestern U.S.
An extensive effort was made to build permanent facilities at Fort Sumner. The
large NASA High Bay building was approved for construction by NASA in the
early 1990’s, but the agency first had to purchase the land at the airport from the
city of Fort Sumner since the U.S. federal government cannot build facilities on
land that is not owned by the government. It took a couple of years to complete
that transaction.
The High Bay building is 12.2 m (40 ft) high with over 600 m
2
(6,458 ft
2
) of air
conditioned floor area to check and integrate up to four scientific payloads at a
time and to provide work areas for operations and support personnel. There is a
9.1 m (30 ft) high door on either end of the building and a 4,500 kg (10,000 lb)
monorail crane to move gondolas and equipment within the structure.
The second phase of construction of the High Bay was completed in mid-1994,
with the addition of paving around the building and the addition of a second and
third floor with enclosed telemetry station, weather station, and a complete flight
control center. A roof platform was added to act as a mounting structure for line of
sight telemetry antennas and cameras to track balloon launch operations using the
internet. In addition, a non-magnetic frame located near the main building is used
to calibrate the magnetic sensors on balloon payloads.
Since the completion of the Fort Sumner base the operational concept for routine support of line of sight ZPB flights in the U.S. has been stratospheric turnaround flights, as well as for flights traveling west from Palestine in the summer.
Flights from Fort Sumner which head east are supported using Palestine as a
downrange station, and a mobile telemetry station is located at the Winslow, AZ
for balloons heading west.
126 Launch Sites