Mega launch day mega post!
I start with some documentation of BLAST’s final flight configuration (which while a little boring is part of the reason people indulge my taking photos of everything). Then we go through our pre-launch preparations. Later, I’m allowed out to the flightline to document the assembly and inflation process there—much closer than I’d been before. Finally there is the launch itself, which went off cleanly.
A big thanks to the CSBF crew for all their hard work.
Follow the white snow road
Follow the white snow road
Balloon sled
Launch day parade
With helium tankers in the rear
On the pad
Elio goes to there
On the pad
No with me there too!
Flightline setup
Parachute electronics setup
Official videography
To demonstrate that everything was done correctly
Parachute
Very important electronics
Flight train connection
Top of parachute
Para cord, and loopy electronics cables
UTP
Universal Terminate Package
Checklist
See. The pros use them too
Antistatic smocks
For dealing with explosives. EXPLOSIVES!
Pirate cart
Scourge of the seven launchpads
Balloon unfurling
A very promising sign. Balloon opening as a non-reversible process
The explosives
Though I don't know which parts actually expode. I probably should have asked
Balloon box pretty much empty
Having reached the parachute
Wrangling the bottom of the balloon
Lots of balloon
All along the right. With a fair bit of parachute along the left
Unbagging
Connected to balloon
Rigging the balloon termination line
More official videography
Parachute and launch vehicle
Top of parachute
More details of balloon-parachute interface
And one more for good measure
Inflation begins
At this point, the launch is almost assured
To start, the balloon is held down
More inflation
From the team on the other side
Full fill tube
Pretty long
Pretty soon it's hard to hold down
Twisty balloon
Just after release
Upright balloon filling
With a bit of a sundog
Lots of balloon
Filling continues
This takes a while, and I need to keep taking pictures
Trixie
Backing up to feed a bit more balloon through the spool
Fire in the balloon
Fire in the balloon
Don't cross the streams
It would be bad.
Lifting the parachute
Balloon inspection
Detailed inspection
This is not a "cool guys don't look at explosions" moment
Thankfully
The sun shining through the balloon is too awesome not to take many photos of it
Winding up the balloon seal
Penguin sticker hard hat
Fantastic Pictures! Thank you very much! What a great event! Almost felt as if we were there.
This looks cool. (literarily and figuratively).
Steve! You’ve done it again! How would I know about the Robin, the bunny, the signatures, the bagging, the parachute basket, the final rainbow filling tubes, the fire in the balloon? 131 Thank Yous!
Elio! We’re very proud of you!!!! We love you so much and we wish you a wonderful new year!!!!
Elio you’re simply the best! We are very proud of you…
How do the Mega Passes work? We are going to the Georgia National Fair in Perry in October and we have a family of 4, 2 adtlus and 2 children ages 5 and 3. would we need to buy a separate mega pass for each of us? We were planning to come on a night for armbands but my husband is active duty Military and the only day we can come is 10/6 or 10/7 and we were looking for ways to save money and still let our kids have a nice time. do you know yet how many tickets on average each ride will require?