Images of

ANTARCTICA

Long Duration Balloon

Photos © 2002 Seth White

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There are two payloads being launched this year: ATIC and Boomerang. This is ATIC (Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter) without its spherical cover. It is a probe designed to detect and identify high energy cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are particles (nuclei of various atoms) that come to earth from deep space at nearly the speed of light. This experiment will be flying high enough so that it can receive a cosmic ray hit before the cosmic ray has been destroyed by hitting a molecule of the earth's atmosphere. In particular, they are hoping to get a large number of hits from the rarest cosmic rays, i.e. the ones with the very highest energies known. Scientists do not as yet know the origin of these highest energy particles. How do these atomic nuclei get accelerated to such tremendous speeds? This data will certainly help illuminate the mystery. It is also hoped that the ATIC probe will be hit by 'heavy' cosmic rays, i.e. nuclei of heavier atoms such as iron. This data will help to resolve discrepancies between the measured and expected distribution of cosmic ray particle types.

Another picture of the uncovered ATIC device. During flight, it will be enclosed by a pressurized, heated bag, and will look like a boring little sphere. But inside it is quite the complex instrument.
More of the ATIC, prior to the cover being installed.
This is the second payload, Boomerang, which will be launched separate from ATIC. This is the second flight for Boomerang, and the instrument is essentially the same as it was during its first flight. Much valuable data was obtained from the first flight regarding the spatial distribution of cosmic radiation. This information is important because electromagnetic cosmic radiation (completely different than cosmic rays) is left-over energy from the big bang. Measurement of this radiation allows a direct view back to the very early periods in the existence of the universe. This year, they modified the device to measure polarity in the cosmic radiation. Whether polarization exists or not is a question of great importance in our understanding of the formation of the universe. This is potentially Nobel Prize type stuff.
The device will face away from the sun, and has an array of solar panels on its backside to supply power.
This is the frontside of Boomerang. I am told the circular mirror cost about $60,000 to fabricate. Which, considering the sophistication and total budget of the project, is nothing. But...notice the liberal use of aluminum foil also on this instrument. Sometimes low-tech really works!
These are the sensors and controls for the instrument. Boomerang actually has a little motor and a rotating mass which causes the whole thing to rotate back and forth, scanning the sky. As it does so, the camera (sticking out from the top) views the stars to keep focused on one point, so they can determine exactly where the recorded image came from in the sky.
Another look at the heart of the Boomerang instrument.
More guts.
This thing is quite a strangely shaped device. It is almost trapezoidal and has huge panels sticking out from its sides. They will need to launch this payload on an exceptionally quiet day, since it is basically a very large sail which will be thrown around by the slightest breeze.
Me, in the payload barn with Boomerang.
Ivan the Terrabus at the LDB site, which is located at Williams Field on the Ross Ice Shelf.
The LDB people had their annual barbecue and open house in December. Tours were provided of all the LDB facilities, including the bays where both payloads are kept.
The barbecue was a good event.
These buildings house the payloads. During the winter, snow piles up around them and a massive effort is needed to dig them out each year. McMurdo is an ideal place to launch from not only because of the tremendous logistical support, but because it lies directly below the circumpolar gyre. This is an upper atmosphere wind current which forms every year, and flows around the Antarctic continent. The idea is to send the balloon up to this current, and then allow the payload to drift around the continent. When it returns to near McMurdo, the payload will be jettisoned and (hopefully) recovered. They hope to get two complete revolutions in the gyre with ATIC, and one with Boomerang.
The Long Duration Balloon launch process is a complex and tense operation. Many steps need to go exactly right to get this enormous balloon aloft without damaging the payload. While the balloon is being prepared, the payload is dangled from this vehicle, a Delta equipped with a crane. After the balloon is released but before the payload detaches, the Delta is holding the payload down while the balloon tries to lift it. So, the Delta is somewhat at the mercy of the balloon. I am told that last year the Delta got tipped during launch.
On launch day, I got a page that they were going to attempt a launch, and headed straight out to Williams Field to watch. I had missed the ATIC launch, so I was bound and determined to catch the Boomerang launch. Weather conditions need to just right, so they are on constant standby, waiting for good conditions. When the "go" is given, a complex process begins which takes at least several hours. I arrived around 1:30, and they ended up launching at 5:00 or so. This is the balloon end of the launch site, where the balloon is laid out, positioned in its release mechanism, and filled with helium.
This is the other end of the launch site: the payload area. The Delta holds the payload by its crane and faces directly away from the balloon. They sometimes have to rotate the entire operation if the winds change during setup. The intent is to keep the payload facing directly into the wind, with the balloon assembly downwind. That's exactly what they were doing when I showed up.
Head-on view of the Delta and payload.
This Delta is named "Terry", and has been used for many launches. A newer vehicle is supposed to be coming down next year, and this one will be retured to McMurdo as part of the normal Delta fleet. This was probably the last launch for Terry.
A personal touch on Boomerang - a commemorative baseball. Probably belonged to one of the scientists' children?
Another picture of the Delta holding Boomerang.
And another.
Nice side-on view of the whole thing.
As I was walking away from the area, a group of guys with long sticks comes walking up to Boomerang. They clustered around it, and started jabbering and pointing their sticks at it. Like a bunch of cavemen with spears grunting and pointing at this funny-shaped, alien object. It struck me as hilarious - straight out of Monty Python.
So what they were doing is this: The viewing area of Boomerang had a styrofoam cover in place to protect it until just before the launch. They had to poke the cover and lift it off, very carefully, and fling it out away from the payload.
And here it goes. This was really, really funny to watch.
The balloon release sled. The balloon is fed unerneath this roller, which holds it in place as it is filled. To launch the balloon, the roller is flipped out of the way, releasing the balloon.
A Challenger backing up the balloon sled to near the release sled. They keep the balloon itself in a box until right before launch. It is a very delicate and expensive structure, and can be easily damaged. They lay down a carpet on the snow and slowly roll out the balloon after attaching it to the release sled. I believe the balloon material is 0.006" mylar. If you walk on the balloon and tear it, you had better clear out of town fast.
A view of the Challenger.
The legendary Cat D8 bulldozer. This one is 50 years old....they are having a birthday party for it this year in the heavy shop. I have been told that this is a rare machine - only 10 or so were built specially for Antarctic use. Some of them are supposed to be in various museums. We have three of them here, and this one was brought out to assist with the launch by towing around a helium tank sled.
A massive blade is attached to this machine.
D8 with a helium sled. This thing is sooooo cool.
A view of the helium tanks. The balloon is laid out perpendicular to the tanks.
They use a LOT of helium to fill up this balloon. It's ridiculously large.
Another vintage bulldozer, pulling the release sled.
The D8 again, with White Island in the background. Rich Karstens observed that White Island is probably the hardest thing to photograph near McMurdo, and I think he's right. First of all, it's white. It's usually at least partially covered in clouds, so that's no good. If no clouds are there, there's the perpetually white/grey background. On the rare occasions when you get a blue sky, the light may not be right. And if the light is good, the island is so subtle that you don't get a good feeling for its features on film like you do in person. Plus, it's very long and not very tall. So to get the whole thing you need to zoom out, which takes away detail.
Looking at the D8 from the other direction. Here, Hut Point Peninsula (with Castle Rock) is in the background.
This hut is about 1/4 mile from the launch site. One purpose of this hut is for launching and tracking tracer balloons. They seemed to come out every fifteen minutes or so and launch a little grey balloon, which the guy on the roof would then follow with a small telescope. The Long Duration Balloon obviously must be launched when the winds are low on the ground, but they are also concerned with wind shear. So this balloon is released and its motion as it ascends tells them this sort of information. There was also one of these balloons sitting about 900 feet above the launch area, tethered to the ground. Why the Texas flag on the hut, you wonder? Because the National Scientific Balloon Facility is in Palestine, Texas.
The orange hut in the background is used to track the balloon during the first and last parts of its journey, i.e. when it's within range of the antennas on top. When these antennas can see the balloon, they get something like 350 kb per second data rates (I think). However, when the balloon goes out of 'view' from McMurdo, they switch to various other tracking stations around the continent (one of which is at South Pole). When this happens, the data rates go way down.
Here is Phil Austin, the site manager for the LDB on the Raytheon side. His office is two doors down from mine, and I have gotten to know him a bit during the year. A busy guy, but on launch day his job is more or less to stand back and let them get the thing flying.
Phil and Joel Murray, my officemate. Joel is an environmental technician here, which is a pretty good job. Except when he has to take samples of the sewer line water and someone has just used the bathroom. The rules are that you sample and analyze whatever comes out of the pipe. Fun stuff. But they also do sampling in the Dry Valleys camps...so that ain't too bad.
Phil again, up on the tracking hut.
Phil invited Joel and I up to the hut to watch the launch festivities. So, here's the obligatory picture.
This was really nice...lounging on the hut and watching the goings-on at the launch site. The weather was nice (notice the red parka is removed). A lawn chair and a six pack of beer would have been perfect.
A picture of the Delta and payload from the tracking hut.
When they started filling the balloon, I walked back over to the launch site area. This is the filling operation. They lay out two high pressure hoses from the helium tanks on either side of the balloon. The balloon has two fill tubes, which are attached to a hand-held valve. A guy on either side then controls the flow to the balloon. This is LOUD. Earplugs would have been a good idea.
The fill tube guy.
This has to be one of the most unusual jobs in the world.
A view of the payload during balloon filling.
A view here of the balloon being filled. It took the better part of an hour to get the thing filled up.
Another pic.
And another.
This is me, with the very stylish balloon hat. This look is the rage at McMurdo.
During the fill, people come out to install this collar. This thing exists so that when the balloon is let go from the release sled, the helium doesn't just shoot out the (still horizontal) end. As the balloon rises up, helium fills the collared area the collar, which forces it off and it drops to the ground.
Here, the collar is installed.
During launch, there is only one person near the sled - the person who actually removes the roller and releases the balloon.
The balloon is fully inflated here, and ready to go. It doesn't look as full as a normal balloon because it flies at such high altitude. As the altitude increases, the balloon will fill out and become pretty much spherical. In fact, as you watch the balloon ascend after launch, it looks about the same size in the sky because it's expanding as it rises.
The Delta and Boomerang payload, set for launch.
A member of the Italian Antarctic Program who was involved in this launch. Interesting to know that they also have their own RED PARKA. The Italian base at Terra Nova Bay is a couple hundred miles from here, also on the Ross Sea.
In an instant, the balloon is released and shoots straight up above the Delta. It took me by surprise, but I managed to get a pic of the thing moving diagonally up from the sled to vertical with the payload.
The balloon train is set on a vertical pin on the top of the Delta's crane, so it needs to be straight up and down before balloon's lift can pull the payload up from the crane. So, the Delta driver must motor around, following the balloon, until this happens. Sometimes it will just go straight up all by itself, but not today. The winds right before launch were the strongest all day, but they decided to continue with launch anyway. So up it goes, and the Delta is driving around like crazy (well, as crazily as a Delta can maneuver) trying to get under the balloon. The payload actually smacked against the front of the Delta during this process, prompting me to emit a profane exclamation of my disbelief at the whole thing. One of the payload guys who was watching the launch near me yells back "It's no problem, no problem". Well, yeah. I guess they probably thought of that contingency and designed the payload frame to contact the Delta instead of the instruments themselves. But in any event, I think the two people standing on the Delta's cab were there to keep the payload away from the Delta! After watching all this, I am now convinced the term "pucker factor" was coined by balloonists.
A picture of the whole thing, from the Delta to the top of the balloon.
This activity of driving around under the balloon seemed like it took 5 minutes, although it was probably only 30-45 seconds.
These people surfing the Delta's cab...what is going through their minds right now?
Another pic during the launch process.
So finally, the thing gets loose and shoots straight up. The crowd yells out and a few high-fives are exchanged among the balloon guys and the payload guys. This particular payload, I am told, cost about $5 million to build and fly. And it all came down to this action packed launch.
Another pic of the balloon rising. The first launch (of ATIC) was evidently quite smooth. This one, as I commented to Phil Austin, seemed to be pretty wild and wooly. He agreed.....
So off it goes. It is supposed to circle right around the continent and come back close to McMurdo. They'll jettison the payload, which will parachute down and hopefully land in a nice, accessible spot for them to go retrieve.