A team of NASA and PSL-NSBF staff was formed in 1989 to provide a conceptual design for future LDB systems. The goal of this effort was for mid- latitude
LDB flights. However, during the initial deliberations, the NASA Balloon Program
Office changed the goal to supporting polar latitude flights suitable for launch
from McMurdo, Antarctica and Alaska. A PSL-NMSU project team was named
with oversight from the NASA-WFF Balloon Program Office. The first flights of
the new LDB system were made in January 1989. A system design issue resulted
in mission failures for both flights. One modified LDB was launched at McMurdo,
Antarctica in December 1990 and resulted in a successful “one orbit” mission.
Throughout the 1990’s and into the first decade of the 21st century, LDB support systems and scientific payloads have been refined with increased reliability,
pre-mission testing, and scientific data real-time downlink bandwidth plus onboard data capacity. In the mid-1990’s, NSBF staff worked with Motorola to
develop a “cheap” transponder for the LDB system to use the NASA TDRSS
capabilities. This transponder improved uplink and downlink capability and reliability. In the 18 years since 1989, approximately 35 LDB flights have been
launched from McMurdo, Antarctica. The longest LDB flight was over 40 days
making three orbits around Antarctica. The NASA LDB capability has proven to
be a reliable and affordable vehicle for researchers doing state of the art science
and developing new sensor systems.
The operational support philosophy of NSBF during the 1980’s was basically a
fixed base operation with a heavy flight schedule in the spring and the fall, one or
two remote campaigns in the summer, and flight hardware maintenance during the
winter months. With the large number of Australia campaigns in the late 1980’s,
increased number of flights from Fort Sumner, NM, a yearly 8-10 week campaign
to Antarctica starting in late October each year, plus at least one remote CONUS
campaign, operational staff adapted to a very high travel schedule and little or no
downtime for flight system maintenance. The staffing plan was modified to accommodate two fully staffed campaigns in the field and a limited operational capability at NSBF, all at the same time. Routine flight campaigns in the 1990’s included
a number of years going to Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada launching two to four
payloads using a remote downrange line of sight station at Prince Albert,
Saskatchewan, Canada to support flights terminated in the Peace River region in
Alberta, Canada. A plan to move the MLV to Lynn Lake to support balloon
launches was researched, but the vehicle was never transported to that location.
The increased emphasis of LDB flights from Antarctica during the 1990’s resulted
in infrastructure changes at the NSBF. An LDB payload integration building was
designed and constructed at NSBF near the existing payload staging facility. This
high bay facility accommodated two payloads with a monorail crane to move heavy
payloads. The existing large thermo-vacuum chamber was installed in this building
as well as an operations center to support LDB flights. In this same period NASA
approved funds to improve the parachute and rigging shop and totally remodel the
264 Appendix 1: A Brief History of the NSBF/CSBF
LDB flights. However, during the initial deliberations, the NASA Balloon Program
Office changed the goal to supporting polar latitude flights suitable for launch
from McMurdo, Antarctica and Alaska. A PSL-NMSU project team was named
with oversight from the NASA-WFF Balloon Program Office. The first flights of
the new LDB system were made in January 1989. A system design issue resulted
in mission failures for both flights. One modified LDB was launched at McMurdo,
Antarctica in December 1990 and resulted in a successful “one orbit” mission.
Throughout the 1990’s and into the first decade of the 21st century, LDB support systems and scientific payloads have been refined with increased reliability,
pre-mission testing, and scientific data real-time downlink bandwidth plus onboard data capacity. In the mid-1990’s, NSBF staff worked with Motorola to
develop a “cheap” transponder for the LDB system to use the NASA TDRSS
capabilities. This transponder improved uplink and downlink capability and reliability. In the 18 years since 1989, approximately 35 LDB flights have been
launched from McMurdo, Antarctica. The longest LDB flight was over 40 days
making three orbits around Antarctica. The NASA LDB capability has proven to
be a reliable and affordable vehicle for researchers doing state of the art science
and developing new sensor systems.
The operational support philosophy of NSBF during the 1980’s was basically a
fixed base operation with a heavy flight schedule in the spring and the fall, one or
two remote campaigns in the summer, and flight hardware maintenance during the
winter months. With the large number of Australia campaigns in the late 1980’s,
increased number of flights from Fort Sumner, NM, a yearly 8-10 week campaign
to Antarctica starting in late October each year, plus at least one remote CONUS
campaign, operational staff adapted to a very high travel schedule and little or no
downtime for flight system maintenance. The staffing plan was modified to accommodate two fully staffed campaigns in the field and a limited operational capability at NSBF, all at the same time. Routine flight campaigns in the 1990’s included
a number of years going to Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada launching two to four
payloads using a remote downrange line of sight station at Prince Albert,
Saskatchewan, Canada to support flights terminated in the Peace River region in
Alberta, Canada. A plan to move the MLV to Lynn Lake to support balloon
launches was researched, but the vehicle was never transported to that location.
The increased emphasis of LDB flights from Antarctica during the 1990’s resulted
in infrastructure changes at the NSBF. An LDB payload integration building was
designed and constructed at NSBF near the existing payload staging facility. This
high bay facility accommodated two payloads with a monorail crane to move heavy
payloads. The existing large thermo-vacuum chamber was installed in this building
as well as an operations center to support LDB flights. In this same period NASA
approved funds to improve the parachute and rigging shop and totally remodel the
264 Appendix 1: A Brief History of the NSBF/CSBF