Update - U of M Balloon Launch Oct 4

For those of you that assisted, you pretty much know what happened. For those that did not, there was an airborne structural failure. Or as my wife says, it broke. The payloads separated from the balloon and parachute. The top payload was recovered but the bottom two are still probably linked together but were not recovered. We were able to teach the U of M balloon team about RDF as the top payload was still transmitting after it fell from about 70,000 feet into a swamp. I think the U of M is grateful for our assistance as they probably would not have found the one package without us.

There is a lot we can learn from this to help make a SARA launch more successful and less tragic. First, we almost had to declare an emergency as one student and the professor were missing. The student made his way to road and called for assistance with a cell phone. The professor we found about 15 minutes before I was going to call the authorities for assistance. He did not have a phone or radio with him which could have diverted this situation. All search parties must have a cell phone and or HT with them at all times. I’d also suggest you carry a zip lock bag to protect electronics when you fall in the swamp like your club president did.

Each payload should have its own transmitter and it should be well enough packed that a fall will not cause it stop transmitting if possible. Wrap the batteries with foam and duct tape and protect the wiring connections. We could only hear one of the three transmitters that the U of M sent up. We must be able to hear all transmitters before we launch. We need testing and lots of it. A prelaunch meeting a week before launch and the evening before launch should be required for all participants.

A bright colored tail of rip stop nylon will help make it easier to see if the payload falls in deep brush or a swamp. We could not see the one pay load we recovered until we almost stepped on it. It was only three steps away from where we were performing the body shield method of RDF and we could not see it.

The balloon and payload are exposed to high concentrations ozone, UV rays, and radiation during a flight. For this reason, all rigging must be replaced every flight. Anything that looks worn or weak must also be replaced.

We had to call Lyle WB9OKQ to look at the internet to try and find the balloon after both the U of M team, and the team of John KC0UHY and I lost communications with the balloon. Some one at a station with internet capabilities is a must.

Organizing the vehicles locations was not easy as everyone had different maps. We need to provide each of the chase/recovery vehicles with the same map with quadrants. This way the road designations are the same for everyone.

The balloon should carry two transmitters. One on the national APRS frequency and one on a less cluttered frequency.

There needs to a fixed station near the landing site as a net control station. This station must be in contact with the chase/recovery vehicles and the internet equipped station. The fixed station will need to track the balloon on all used frequencies. This will require two radios with TNCs and two laptops with the appropriate software.

The chase/recovery vehicle may or may not have laptops with APRS tracking software. This is a nice feature but not a must. The club can provide laptops but the vehicle owner/team must provide a radio with TNC, all cables, and 115VAC power to run the laptop. They should also be very familiar with the radio, TNC and UI-View software. Each chase/recovery vehicle should have an APRS transmitter so that the control or internet capable stations can see their exact location. Do not try to chase/recover the balloon in a vehicle alone. You can not drive, run the radio(s), talk on a cell phone, and operate the computer at the same time. Even with two people this is difficult.

Wear clothes you are willing to throw away. It took 3 stained wash cycles and bottle of stain remover to try and save my pants. The white socks I was wearing are permanently stained brown. Wear good hiking boots. Bring a long sleeve shirt or jacket. Waiters, personal flotation device, change of clothes, canoe or kayak, ATV, ropes, tree climbing gear, hand held GPS, compass, bug spray, poison oak/ivy knowledge, binoculars, and food and water are all highly recommended if we want to recover the payload.

Many of those that went on this excursion will have more to add to the list.

In the end, the U of M lost one of its most expensive payloads. This is a possibility in this type of activity and something we must consider when deciding if this should be a SARA activity.