<\/a>Goodbye messages to SPIDER <\/div>
Varying levels of sentimental<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>The Boss arrives <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>SPIDER goes outside to join <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>New window <\/div>
Cut at the last minute due to thermal panic<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Derek does his thing <\/div>
Connecting us to The Boss<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Smiley <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>SPIDER rolls off <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Only to wait a while in the open <\/div>
While tests are conducted<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Team Pump on The Boss <\/div>
As SPIDER drives off<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>SPIDER in the sun <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Driving away <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>SPIDER and Mt Erebus <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Cynthia and Mt Erebus <\/div>
And overflowing excitement<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Spool cart rolls out <\/div>
This holds the balloon during inflation<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>The helium trucks <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>The balloon box joins everything else on the pad <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Improvised volleyball net <\/div>
Constructed while waiting for winds to cooperate<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Balloon unboxing! <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Piball launch <\/div>
Tracked every half hour to measure winds<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Inflation well underway <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>SPIDER waits <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>The whole flightline <\/div>
Most of the space is occupied by balloon<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Anne runs out to see <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Stops bouncing long enough for a photo <\/div>
Before running back inside to check cryogenic health<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Tension lifts the parachute <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>SPIDER sweater spectators <\/div>
And one odd duck<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Peanut gallery <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Advanced inflation <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Spectator group photo <\/div>
aka the people that didn't have work to do<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Fill tubes cut and tied <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Balloon release! <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Mushrooming <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Slow rise <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Floating up in line with The Boss <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>SPIDER almost ready to launch <\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>Almost vertical <\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>![\"SPIDER](\"https:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7527\/16177242235_6ffe50f130_n.jpg\")
To start the new year, SPIDER launched! After a frantic night and early morning of hurried preparations, we spent much of the day waiting on the weather. Excitement rapidly increased in the afternoon when the winds settled down and the balloon was unboxed and inflated. After pausing to celebrate a successful day of launch operations, we ran inside to start monitoring SPIDER as she ascends. The first day of flight is exhausting, busy, and precious. While we can still see SPIDER, we have fast radio telemetry, which we use to get everything tuned and calibrated. Now SPIDER is happily scanning the sky. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17,8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6479"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6479"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6481,"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6479\/revisions\/6481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/droppingballast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}