While the new launch pad was being built, the 2 month process of shipping the
Extreme Universe Space Observatory Super-Pressure Balloon (EUSO-SPB) scientific instrument began. That process began at CSBF’s base at Palestine, TX
where the instrument was integrated with NASA flight systems and certified for
the flight. From there, a truck drove the payload to the Port of Houston, where it
was loaded onto a ship that sailed to the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal. The
containers were transferred to another truck that traveled to the Pacific end of the
canal. They were then loaded aboard a ship departing for the port of Auckland on
the North Island of New Zealand. There they were transferred to another ship that
sailed to Port Chalmers on the South Island, and finally loaded onto the last truck
for the trip to Wanaka Airport. The instrument arrived in good shape, and the reassembly was completed on March 23, 2017, as was the compatibility and hang
test. After a launch readiness review on March 24th the instrument was officially
declared flight ready, just in time for the opening of the launch window the next
day. But an entire month would pass awaiting the right conditions for the launch,
which finally occurred on April 25, local time.
EUSO-SPB’s objective was to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays from
beyond our galaxy. As these particles penetrate the upper atmosphere, they interact with nitrogen molecules in the air and create an ultraviolet fluorescence light.
From its high altitude vantage point, EUSO-SPB would look downward observing
a broad swathe of the atmosphere to detect the fluorescence from the cosmic rays
coming in from above.
Flight number 679NT was launched using a Raven Aerostar SPB with a volume of
0.532 million m
3
(18.793 million ft
3
). The overall weight was 2,495 kg (5,500 lb). It
successfully achieved its float altitude of 33 km (109,000 ft). After several days, it
appeared the balloon had a leak. The behavior of the SPB resembled the normal
night/day cycle that is followed by a ZPB. It was evident that the balloon would not
be able to reach the scheduled recovery site in South America. On the twelfth day,
termination procedures were initiated from the CSBF. However, the balloon didn’t
separate from the payload and fell to the ocean still attached to the payload. The payload acted like an anchor that dragged the balloon to the bottom of the sea with it. On
the plus side, this prevented the balloon from remaining on the surface and posing a
danger to marine life. It splashed down at a point about 370 km (230 mi) south-east
of Easter Island. The total flight time was 12 days, 4 hours and 34 minutes.
For a 1:29 minute video of the launch of EUSO-SPB, go to:
https://youtu.be/VaPbQFRAVcs
NASA was planning to further test the ULDB, but the 2020 test flight in Wanaka,
was canceled owing to Covid-19. Scheduled for 2021, NASA is planning another
SPB test flight from Wanaka that will, in turn, pave the way for the launch of the
Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO)
mission from Antarctica.
138 Launch Sites
Extreme Universe Space Observatory Super-Pressure Balloon (EUSO-SPB) scientific instrument began. That process began at CSBF’s base at Palestine, TX
where the instrument was integrated with NASA flight systems and certified for
the flight. From there, a truck drove the payload to the Port of Houston, where it
was loaded onto a ship that sailed to the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal. The
containers were transferred to another truck that traveled to the Pacific end of the
canal. They were then loaded aboard a ship departing for the port of Auckland on
the North Island of New Zealand. There they were transferred to another ship that
sailed to Port Chalmers on the South Island, and finally loaded onto the last truck
for the trip to Wanaka Airport. The instrument arrived in good shape, and the reassembly was completed on March 23, 2017, as was the compatibility and hang
test. After a launch readiness review on March 24th the instrument was officially
declared flight ready, just in time for the opening of the launch window the next
day. But an entire month would pass awaiting the right conditions for the launch,
which finally occurred on April 25, local time.
EUSO-SPB’s objective was to detect ultra-high energy cosmic rays from
beyond our galaxy. As these particles penetrate the upper atmosphere, they interact with nitrogen molecules in the air and create an ultraviolet fluorescence light.
From its high altitude vantage point, EUSO-SPB would look downward observing
a broad swathe of the atmosphere to detect the fluorescence from the cosmic rays
coming in from above.
Flight number 679NT was launched using a Raven Aerostar SPB with a volume of
0.532 million m
3
(18.793 million ft
3
). The overall weight was 2,495 kg (5,500 lb). It
successfully achieved its float altitude of 33 km (109,000 ft). After several days, it
appeared the balloon had a leak. The behavior of the SPB resembled the normal
night/day cycle that is followed by a ZPB. It was evident that the balloon would not
be able to reach the scheduled recovery site in South America. On the twelfth day,
termination procedures were initiated from the CSBF. However, the balloon didn’t
separate from the payload and fell to the ocean still attached to the payload. The payload acted like an anchor that dragged the balloon to the bottom of the sea with it. On
the plus side, this prevented the balloon from remaining on the surface and posing a
danger to marine life. It splashed down at a point about 370 km (230 mi) south-east
of Easter Island. The total flight time was 12 days, 4 hours and 34 minutes.
For a 1:29 minute video of the launch of EUSO-SPB, go to:
https://youtu.be/VaPbQFRAVcs
NASA was planning to further test the ULDB, but the 2020 test flight in Wanaka,
was canceled owing to Covid-19. Scheduled for 2021, NASA is planning another
SPB test flight from Wanaka that will, in turn, pave the way for the launch of the
Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO)
mission from Antarctica.
138 Launch Sites