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.
Inflation panorama
Subset of inflation panorama
Tyr: Make it look like the balloon is coming out of my mouth
Despite both of us wobbling in awkward poses, we get it mostly right
Unbagging
Opened balloon
High-res balloon
Vertical panorama
Attaching the collar
Which holds helium in the top of the balloon during launch
Fill completing
Aimed vertically now
The collar
With explosive bits
Tying off a fill tube
Fill tube finished
Knotted
A couple more minutes of filling on the other side
BLAST on the flightline
BLAST and more of the flightline
The full scene
Now from a safe distance
Anticipation
Anticipators
"Give me the balloon"
Flippy floppy
Balloon rising
Rising...
The Boss plays a little catch-up
Launch
With The Boss gunning it in reverse
Ascent
With descending piece of balloon collar
Bye, The Boss
Bye bye, ground
Floating away
And away
Back to the highbay
LAUNCH! Woooo!!!
A little later
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?