Project Title

NASA Long Duration Balloon (LDB) Support Program

Summary

Event Number:
A-145-S
NSF / NASA Agreement

Program Director:
Dr. Marion Dierickx

ASC POC/Implementer:
Marissa Goerke / Kaija Webster / Chad Naughton

Principal Investigator(s)

Hugo Franco
hugo.franco@nasa.gov
Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility
Palestine, Texas

Project Web Site:
https://www.csbf.nasa.gov

Location

Supporting Stations: South Pole Station
Research Locations: McMurdo Long Duration Balloon (LDB) Facility

Description

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) provides launch, tracking and control, airspace coordination, telemetry and command systems, and recovery services for unmanned high-altitude balloon operations based at the Long Duration Balloon Facility (LDBF) outside of McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This season, two full-size balloon payload launches and two smaller hand launches from McMurdo Station are scheduled:

- GAPS (General Antiparticle Spectrometer on 34 million cubic-foot [mcf] balloon) - PUEO (The Payload for ultra-high energy observations on 34 mcf balloon) - HiCal 1 hand launch (PUEO calibration pinger on 1.128 mcf balloon) - HiCal 2 hand launch (PUEO calibration pinger on 1.128 mcf balloon)

(The out-season recovery is the Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory [GUSTO] balloon mission, launched and terminated in 2023-24.) The payloads consist of science instruments, command/control systems and solar/battery power units. The bulk of the data collected is stored on onboard hard drives, with a small amount of data transmitted to ground-based receiving stations via radio telemetry. After the flight has been completed recovery support is required to disassemble the instrument and return data/equipment from the field to McMurdo Station for northbound shipping to the US.

Field Season Overview

On-site planning and preparation will begin in late October. During this time, the CSBF will unpack cargo, dewinterize/test equipment, assemble flight systems, and support science teams with instrument construction. The launch ready date for the science groups is December 1. This date typically coincides with the time when the circumpolar stratospheric winds are expected to become established and stable. The balloons will travel counterclockwise around the Antarctic continent between 70 and 80 degrees south latitude at an altitude of approximately 115,000-160,000 feet. Flight duration for one revolution is typically 8-15 days, though overall flight time can be longer. At the end of the flight. the balloons will be terminated over a suitable location and payloads will be recovered from the field.

Deploying Team Members