On December 19, we did Spider’s Compatibility test. This is essentially a dress rehearsal for launch. We go through our pre-launch checklist, disconnect from all our non-flight ground cables, and hang out on the launch vehicle (aka The Boss). The test went fine.
This set off a blur of days as we immediately prepared to start trying to launch, with the first attempt beginning the evening after Compatibility ended. For the first attempt, we had a whole bunch of little tasks to finish before we were really truly launch ready, like cleaning pre-flight data from the computers, and finishing arts-and-crafts on the sun shields. Which meant much of the team had little rest.
We had a couple scrubbed attempts, where we got all ready, rolled outside, and waited for the weather to maybe look good enough to launch. It didn’t. (Yet.) And then we reversed the procedure to roll back inside to try again the next evening. And again. Until finally…

Mess of disconnected cables
From some late night detector noise testing

Opening the apertures
Removing the foam covers inside

DO WIGGLE!

The Boss is waiting

Forking a pump onto The Boss

Spider coming outside
In a launch-ready state

Electronics guys wait their turn

Cory on The Boss's deck

Spider outside

Alec swaps ropes
From the indoor hoist to The Boss

The Boss, Spider, Payload Bay 2

Garrison drives

Tyler holds The Boss's leash
(Keeps the flight cables out of the way)

The Boss from behind

The parachute bin

Installing CSBF's solar panels

More onlookers

Ready to lift

Lifted!
By the launch vehicle!

CSBF solar panels, and ballast hopper

Corwin guards our pump hose

Sneak pieak of Cory

Spider backs up from the deck

Compatiblity happening
ie sitting there doing apparently nothing while we check that everything works

Simon poses with Spider

I pose with Spider

So much solar power

Bill's tur nguarding the pump
As we roll back into the payload bay

Undoing solar panels

Johanna's custom high-vis vest

IMG_0956

Jared photographs
Basically everything

Coming back inside

Cutting an extra access hole
For reaching in to top up the liquid helium

Tweaking the thermal covers

Final parting messages to Spider

Sealing up the bottom
After floor-signing completes. (And removal of cryogenic drip bucket)

Spider shirts in action

They're multiplying!

SImon reaches
Things are hard to reach once the sun shields are fully filled in.

Bill is a supportive advisor

Checklist master Jeff

Spider's body cameras

Spider's belly
Feat thin bag over electronics, as protection during ascent

Belly and floor

Harnessing the power of the Johanna hat

Through the side hatch
Control electronics and main flight computer

Covering solar panel cables
After swapping them to flight configuration

Custom fit vest
As Curtis and several riggers take pity on Joseph's confusion

Corwin and the pump

YOLO hat.
With Susan in full disguise mode

Solar panels ready to go back on

Spider back out on the deck

Rope swap again

The Boss picking Spider up again

The control center
Our crappiest laptop ended up the center of activity, thanks mostly to proximity to door and radio

Jared with multiple cameras

Spider lfiter for first launch attempt

Backing up for possibly the last time
(But not actually the last time)

Watching her go

Safety cones

Nap time
It's been a long few days, with lots of missed sleep

Suren made a chair
With scrap lumber, while we were waiting

Rose gives a pi ball lesson
"Pilot balloon", for measuring winds

Jared is really excited to launch the pi ball
(Not actually his birthday)

Jared's moment to shine

Launch!
(Though it found winds too high for Spider)

Rose tracks
On the theodolite

Sunny Spider

Coming back insde
No launch today

Hello, shovel
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