We're starting to get Really Strung Out! Mikey KK5SC has the balloon. Charlie K5ENG and Mack W5EET have the chute. Michael W2CVZ is a bit down-string, and Mike WA5TWT has BLT-22.
What Beautiful Weather We Have! The Flight Crew continue to spread out with the balloon upwind of everything else.
Mikey KK5SC is in Control! Charlie is tying knots and dropping the ballast weights. Are we ready? Don't let it go!
Once again, it's one of Those Launches. The winds are so light, that we can just stand around and casually deploy the balloon and chute straight up! We like it like this! It's Time To Do Launch!
The Flight Team continues to deploy. Mack joins the frantic fray. The moment is Tense! Note the harried looks!
We are finally getting more string into the sky. Charlie checks to make sure the sky is still in place, while Mike and Mikey do all the work.
Charlie reports, "The Sky Is Still In Place." Deep thoughts... The sky is moving down to connect with the balloon. The chute lines are straight and the chute-deployment ring is intact. We're READY to go to The Edge Of Space!
Marty W5MF catches a few more pix while the gear is in range. Everything is powered up and hanging high! Will this be the last time we see BLT-22. Can we let it go yet? Where is WB5HLZ when you need him...
We Let It GO! BLT-22 is on the way to The Edge Of Space! Payload Master Tony's Quasi-Gravity-Gradiant Booms look STRANGE with the inverted 70-cm ground plane antennas suspended at the ends, but the package is stable and everything SEEMS to be working...
Which way did it go George? Which way did it go? Josh KE5FGC and Walter K5WH monitor signals while George gets ready to watch BLT-22 disappear into the clouds. "I have no idea what I am doing, but it looks like I am seriously prepared for optical sightings."
"Wow! Those big binocs are HEAVY!..."
Will the gear work? Can we get video and data from The Edge Of Space? Check it out...
Launch happened shortly after 10 AM on September 9, 2006 from the Wharton Regional Airport. We Were There!!!